Sergei Cristo, a Russian-born British citizen and Conservative party activist, has revealed his failed attempts to alert MI5 to a Kremlin-backed influence operation targeting UK democracy. Cristo, who has photos with figures from Margaret Thatcher to Boris Johnson, claims he was dismissed by security services when he reported suspected Russian spy Sergei Nalobin.
In 2012, Cristo worked with the Guardian's Luke Harding to expose Nalobin's involvement with Conservative Friends of Russia, a group later revealed as a Kremlin influence operation. Despite the story making front-page news, Cristo says MI5 ignored his warnings after two meetings, with a senior officer treating him 'like an idiot'.
Cristo later approached the Intelligence and Security Committee chair Julian Lewis, who advised him to go to the police. He reported MI5's failure to investigate at Charing Cross police station, but officers refused a private conversation, leaving him feeling vulnerable.
The case highlights ongoing concerns about Russian interference in British politics, with Nalobin described as an early pioneer of 'digital diplomacy' and the Russian embassy's Twitter account used for disinformation. Cristo remains agitated that his warnings were not taken seriously, as the threat to democracy persists.
