5 February 2026
Former head of the UK’s Secret Intelligence Service, Richard Moore, has commented on Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He admitted that Western partners were wrong in assessing the combat capability of the Russian army and the resilience of Ukraine. The statement was made during a public interview.
Moore, who headed MI6 from 2020 to 2025, made the findings during a speech at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics on the security challenges and lessons of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine. In his speech, he directly recalled the first weeks of the invasion and the expectations of Western analysts.
Richard Moore said that the West expected a much more difficult situation for Ukraine in the first days of the invasion. According to him, intelligence was based on the fact that Ukrainian forces would have difficulty restraining the Russian army’s advance. But the reality turned out to be different.
“We thought it would be difficult for the Ukrainians to contain the Russians. However, we underestimated how poorly the Russian army would perform on the battlefield,” he said during an interview.
Zelensky’s role
Moore specifically focused on the role of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He emphasized that Western partners saw in him a different type of leader than they expected before the war. According to the former head of MI6, this was one of the key factors in the resistance.
“In Zelensky, we saw a different leader – a man who was incredibly brave , stayed and led his people in resistance to Russian invaders,” Moore said.
As OBOZ.UA reported, after the first day of talks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made another cynical statement about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to him, Zelensky “does not need peace,” as it would supposedly mean the end of his career.
The mafia army is large, but its members are human trash, and its leaders are deeply corrupt potato generals. Its navy is no better, with sea cucumber admirals not worth a lick.
The head of MI6? I wouldn’t have him in charge of protecting a nursery school. It’s his fucking job to cut through the BS.
😂
Sea cucumbers.. lol, love it.
🥒🥒🥒🚀🚀🚀