In 2016 the Conservative Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond said, "The only country that would like us to leave the EU is Russia" In 2026 the former Head of MI6 Sir John Sawers said, "Russia was very keen that the Leave campaign should succeed and that Britain should leave the European Union. Because that would marginalise Britain as a global player and weaken Europe in general" "That's the strategic opportunity the Russians spotted, and the leaders of the Leave campaign fell into it" My view: The warning was there before the referendum: Moscow had a clear interest in Britain breaking with Europe. A decade later, a former head of MI6 has explained why — a divided Europe and a Britain pushed to the margins would serve Russia’s strategic interests. It does show that the Kremlin saw Brexit as an opportunity to weaken both Britain and the European Union, and was keen for Leave to win. The damage was predictable: less British influence in Europe, more friction between allies and a weaker collective response to Russian aggression. Brexit handed Moscow the kind of division it wanted. The leaders of Leave may have believed they were restoring Britain’s power. In reality, they pursued a course that played directly into Russia’s hands, and the country is still living with the consequences: weaker, worse off, with escalated societal tensions.