The new head of Britain’s foreign intelligence agency MI6 is set to warn that Russia’s efforts to spread instability are reshaping modern conflict and creating complex security challenges for the United Kingdom and its allies.

In her first public speech as MI6 chief, Blaise Metreweli is expected to say Britain faces increasingly unpredictable and interconnected threats, with particular focus on what she describes as an aggressive and expansionist Russia. Extracts released by the Foreign Office quote her as saying that the export of chaos is a core feature of Russia’s approach to international engagement and is likely to continue unless President Vladimir Putin changes course.

Metreweli, who assumed office at the end of September, is the only publicly named employee of MI6. She succeeded Richard Moore after previously serving as the agency’s director of technology and innovation.

In her remarks, she is expected to stress the importance of combining technological expertise with human intelligence to counter hybrid threats. She will say MI6 officers need to be as skilled in computer code as they are in handling human sources, and as fluent in programming languages as they are in spoken ones.

Her speech follows a series of warnings from Western defence and security officials about hybrid threats posed by countries including Russia, Iran and China. These threats are said to include cyber operations, espionage and influence campaigns that undermine international stability.

Last week, the UK imposed sanctions on several Russian media organisations over alleged information warfare activities and on two Chinese technology companies accused of large-scale cyber operations.

Metreweli is the first woman to lead MI6 since the agency was founded in 1909. Britain’s other intelligence agencies have previously been headed by women, including MI5 and the cyber intelligence agency GCHQ.

The warning comes amid intensified diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, now approaching its fourth year. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met US envoys in Berlin on Sunday and is scheduled to hold talks with the leaders of Germany, France and Britain. European allies are seeking to maintain support for Kyiv as Washington pushes for a rapid acceptance of a US-brokered peace proposal.

Separately, Britain’s Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton, is also expected to warn that Putin aims to weaken and ultimately dismantle NATO. In a speech on Monday, Knighton will say the war in Ukraine demonstrates Russia’s readiness to target neighbouring states and civilian populations, posing a threat to the entire NATO alliance, including the UK. He is expected to argue for stronger military capabilities and more resilient national infrastructure in response.