Vladimir Putin warned UK will not again down in new ‘arms race’ amid cyber assault fears

Vladmir Putin will today be warned the UK will not back down in the “new AI arms race” ahead of an expected barrage of cyber attacks.

The Russian President is expected to unleash a wave of strikes that could “turn out the lights for millions”, NATO security chiefs will hear. Labour’s Pat McFadden, who is responsible for national security policy, will tell a conference in London that intelligence chiefs “know exactly what they are doing”.

He also warns that the Kremlin “won’t think twice” about targeting British infrastructure as the threat of all-out war escalates. He will say that Russia has become “exceptionally aggressive and reckless in the cyber realm” and said there’s an imminent risk that Putin-backed hackers could “shut down the power grids”.

Mr McFadden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, will say: “Be in no doubt: the United Kingdom and others in this room are watching Russia. We know exactly what they are doing, and we are countering their attacks both publicly and behind the scenes.

“We know from history that appeasing dictators engaged in aggression against their neighbours only encourages them.” Mr McFadden will also sound an alarming warning to UK businesses urging them to ramp up protections against malicious strikes from Moscow and its allies.

To counter the threat, he will say, a new Laboratory for AI Security Research (LASR) will be set up with around £8million of initial Government funding. Speaking at the NATO Cyber Defence Conference at Lancaster House, London, Mr McFadden will say: “Putin is a man who wants destruction, not peace.

“He is trying to deter our support for Ukraine with his threats. He will not be successful.” He will say that cyber war is now a “daily reality” as he calls on intelligence chiefs to work together to stop states like Russia and North Korea getting an advantage in the “physical and cyber battlefield”.

Russia last week said the UK is “directly involved” in the war between Moscow and Ukraine after British-made missiles were fired into Russian territory. Following the launch of Storm Shadow missiles into Kursk into western Russia, Moscow unleashed an experimental new warhead on Ukraine.

Yesterday Ukraine showed the wreckage of an Oreshnik missile, which struck a missile in the city of Dnipro. President Volodymyr Zelensky said: “Ukraine is not a testing ground for weapons.

“Ukraine is a sovereign and independent state. But Russia still continues its efforts to kill our people, spread fear and panic, and weaken us.”

Keir Starmer last week insisted the UK is not at war with Moscow despite Putin saying Russia has the right to strike military targets of Ukraine’s allies. The Russian President has loosened rules around deploying nuclear weapons in a dangerous escalation more than 1,000 days after his illegal invasion.

His forces have been boosted by more than 10,000 North Korean troops in recent weeks. The US, South Korea and Ukraine have said these soldiers have been fighting on the front lines.

In a bid to bolster troop numbers, Putin has signed a new law allowing new recruits to wipe off debts worth around £70,000.