A defence expert has exposed the three terrifying ways Russia could strike the UK, warning that Vladimir Putin’s next move could trigger chaos on British soil
Vladimir Putin could launch a terrifying assault on Britain in three distinct ways as the war in Ukraine spirals out of control, a defence expert has warned.
Former Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) boss and Sky News analyst Professor Michael Clarke believes the UK could soon be forced into a direct clash with Russia across the waves, in our skies, or via a crippling cyberattack. The chilling alert follows a wave of fiery threats from Russian elites angered by Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s steadfast support for Ukraine.
It also comes after a grim warning from Polish PM Donald Tusk, who cautioned that “accidental” Russian strikes could hit Ukraine’s allies this autumn and winter as part of Moscow’s dark “hybrid war.”
Opening up on how a dramatic showdown could erupt, Professor Clarke told the Express: “The prospect of a militarised confrontation is, in my view, most likely at sea.
“We might intercept a shadow fleet tanker, and the Russians would retaliate by seizing British ships somewhere else in the world, maybe in Asia, British-registered ships.”
The defence chief warned that things could rapidly boil over right on our doorstep if Royal Navy forces try to halt a Russian shadow fleet vessel, only for Moscow to send a warship to back them up in a nightmare scenario that would be “militarily difficult to manage.”
The second most likely military confrontation is shooting down Russian drones, “or even Russian aircraft that are in our airspace,” the professor said.
Earlier this month, Polish PM Tusk told journalists that Russia’s plan includes hybrid drone and missile strikes against countries supporting Ukraine.
He added that this intelligence information is now deemed “very consistent and, unfortunately, convincing.” A third likely and “very serious” threat is a cyberattack, Prof Clarke said.
He said: “In 2022, the British government was dealing with about 50 or 60 serious cyber attacks a year, very few of which worked.
“And now, they were dealing with five times that number, between 250 and 300 serious cyber attacks. The sort of cyber attacks that brought Jaguar Land Rover to a halt for a couple of months that year.
“Or it could be something which attacks the national grid, which creates lots of power outages in different parts of the country. We don’t know until it happens. But sooner or later, some of those attacks will work.”
He concluded by outlining a fourth, much less likely scenario of the UK becoming involved in a direct ground confrontation with Russia.
This could occur following a direct Russian attack, or through a subversive operation in Estonia, where Britain has troops stationed as part of NATO’s presence.
He said: “Russians might choose to try to isolate British troops in Estonia in order to demonstrate that Britain is the target, as well as Estonia.”