Cooper Unveils £4m Cyber Plan Against Russian Hackers

Published: 09 October 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper has announced a £4 million cyber counter-offensive aimed at combating Russian hacking and disinformation in the western Balkans. The initiative comes ahead of a summit with foreign ministers from the region, focusing on strengthening digital defences, safeguarding media integrity, and countering electoral manipulation.

The funding is intended to bolster the capabilities of Balkan states in countering cyber threats. Intelligence reports suggest that Russia is attempting to destabilise the region to prevent closer integration with NATO and the European Union, exploiting historical, cultural, and religious ties, particularly in Serbia.

Ms Cooper will host the summit at Hillsborough Castle near Belfast, discussing ways to support stability in a region whose insecurity could pose direct threats to the UK’s national and border security. Alongside cyber investment, she announced £10 million in initiatives aimed at tackling people-smuggling across the western Balkans and other areas.

These projects will include law enforcement training in Kosovo, strengthening border security, and providing assistance to potential trafficking victims in Serbia. Cooper emphasised the importance of international collaboration, stating: “It is in all our interests to protect security and stability in the western Balkans, and we must be alert to the full range of threats facing our partners, from Russian attempts to revive ethnic tensions to organised people-smuggling networks.”

She added that partnerships abroad strengthen domestic security and economic growth, highlighting that support for Balkan nations in tackling people-smuggling will directly disrupt organised crime networks, impacting the UK.

Balkan leaders at the summit are expected to discuss establishing return hubs for failed asylum seekers, part of broader UK efforts to deter migrants attempting to cross the Channel. Cooper has prioritised tackling illegal migration since assuming office, building on agreements with Iraq, France, and Germany.

The Foreign Office has increased staffing to target people-smuggling networks and advance negotiations on the return of individuals with no right to be in the UK. These recruits are also assisting in identifying targets for the UK’s innovative sanctions against people-smugglers and their enablers.

The summit takes place at Hillsborough Castle, the historic site of the Good Friday Agreement. UK officials noted that lessons from Northern Ireland’s peace process will be shared to support the Balkans in transforming past conflict and division into a model of reconciliation and progress.

Through combined efforts in cyber security, migration control, and regional stability, the UK aims to reinforce international cooperation and mitigate threats emanating from geopolitical and criminal challenges in the western Balkans.