Brits face ‘extreme’ punishment for refusing conscription as Russia fires WW3 risk

A leading author and historian has warned that Britons could face a severe punishment if they ignore conscription in the event of World War 3 and Russia has been issuing terrifying threats

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Brits could face harsh penalties if they refuse to comply with conscription should World War 3 break out, a leading historian claims.

While conscription has only been implemented twice by the British government over the past 126 years – initially from 1916 to 1920 and subsequently from 1939 to 1960 – concerns are mounting that it might be brought back during another worldwide conflict.

Tensions have risen after Donald Trump’s administration set its sights on both Iran and Greenland, while Russia is persisting with its unlawful invasion of Ukraine. Putin’s associates have even been delivering menacing threats to Europe.

Sergey Karaganov, from Russia’s Council for Foreign and Defence Policy, recently issued a chilling warning that Russia would resort to nuclear weapons if faced with defeat, telling Tucker Carlson: “What is defeat of Russia?

“If Russia comes ever close to a defeat, that would mean that Russia now would use nuclear weapons and Europe would be finished physically.”

Given earlier claims that the British Army is at its most vulnerable state for decades, Keir Starmer might potentially resort to conscription to bolster troop numbers, reports the Express.

In an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, author and historian David Swift outlined the severe consequences that could befall Britons who fail to heed the call of conscription.

David suggested that instead of jail sentences, penalties might be levied on those who decline to register.

He explained: “I imagine it would be fines rather than imprisonment or anything like that, due to: 1. Lack of prison capacity. 2. Difficulty enforcing and lack of legitimacy and 3. That ‘conscription’, if introduced, would be very much focused around monetary reward.”

Regarding what kind of penalties we could anticipate, Mr Swift suggested that the UK might mirror the Greek government’s approach. In Greece, there was a penalty of €6,000 (£5213.19) for failing to register, though in 2019 the nation considered scrapping the fine entirely.

The Greek embassy in London were contacted for a statement.

Meanwhile, David suggested Britain might also adopt the Swiss model, explaining: “In Switzerland, you have to pay an additional three percent in taxes if you refuse military service for the duration of the time you were meant to be in military training.

“This way, the fines are severe enough so that they present a genuine disincentive not to serve (if it was only a few hundred quid you would have lots of people opting out), but not as severe as imprisonment.”

This marks not the first occasion David has weighed in on conscription; earlier this month he told the Express that whilst one particular group might face conscription risk, others could be granted exemptions.

David stated: “Today, since there is such an urgent need to rebuild Britain’s defence industries and industrial capacity, I would expect that people in these important occupations would be exempt.

“Or even that people could be ‘conscripted’ into working in these industries, and that military conscription would target unemployed graduates – this would be very popular with lots of people and especially the Blue Labour thinkers behind Starmer.”

His remarks come as local government leaders are being encouraged to bolster their defences against potentially devastating cyber attacks by Russian ‘hacktivists’, known as ‘denial-of-service’ attacks.

Jonathan Ellison, the National Cyber Security Centre’s Director of National Resilience, issued a stark warning to the UK’s service providers in an interview with the Express. He urged them to strengthen their defences or risk disaster.

Jonathan cautioned: “We continue to see Russian-aligned hacktivist groups targeting UK organisations and although denial-of-service attacks may be technically simple, their impact can be significant.

“By overwhelming important websites and online systems, these attacks can prevent people from accessing the essential services they depend on every day.

“All organisations, especially those identified in today’s alert, are urged to act now by reviewing and implementing the NCSC’s freely available guidance to protect against DoS attacks and other cyber threats.”

In light of Russia’s escalating hostility, nations such as Sweden, Finland, and Norway have provided their citizens with guidance on how to endure a conflict-based crisis.