The bulk of its activity is, of course, directed at the global threat posed by Islamist terror networks and nuclear proliferation by rogue states such as Iran and North Korea. These days, the largest concentration of British intelligence officers is more likely to be found in Kabul, rather than Moscow. But that does not mean that British spooks have entirely given up on their old stomping grounds in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. Nor should we take it for granted that they can always be relied upon to observe the cardinal rule of not spying on countries that are supposed to be close allies.