Putin 'considers attack on Britain' - but it won't be an 'outright military strike'

Britain’s defence chief has warned Russia is “shamelessly” targeting civilians and is likely to intensify attacks on Ukraine as winter approaches, as fears grow that Moscow will increasingly use criminal gangs and disposable proxies to strike targets in Britain without leaving an obvious Kremlin fingerprint.

Speaking exclusively to LBC while on a trip to Kyiv, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, the Chief of the Defence Staff, said the threat posed by Russian ballistic missiles and drones remains one of Ukraine’s greatest concerns, particularly as colder weather approaches.

“Ukraine and President Zelensky are really clear that it's the threat from ballistic missiles and drones that really worry Ukraine,” Sir Richard told LBC.

“And as we get to winter, where they rely more heavily on electricity supplies and heating supplies, we've seen how Russia has been really shamelessly targeting civilian infrastructure to try and increase the pain on society.”

His warning comes amid growing concern in Britain that Russia’s campaign against the West is increasingly being fought away from the conventional battlefield, using proxies, criminals and recruits found online to conduct sabotage and other attacks while giving Moscow a degree of plausible deniability.

The threat was laid bare this week when former Russian deputy foreign minister Andrei Fedorov suggested British factories involved in producing drones for Ukraine could be attacked by “unknown sources”.

Mr Fedorov said he could not “100% exclude” what he described as “semi-military” action against Britain, warning there could eventually be a “visible reaction from Russia towards the UK”.

Asked what that could mean, he suggested cyber attacks could come from an “unknown source” before going further.

“For example, something might happen with enterprises, with the factories which are producing drones for Ukraine,” he said.

Asked directly whether British factories on British soil could be attacked, he replied: “They could be attacked, not by Russia, but by… from unknown sources.”

It is precisely that type of deniable attack which British and Western security officials increasingly fear.

Rather than risk an overt military attack on a Nato country, Moscow can use criminals, mercenaries and so-called “one-time agents” to carry out individual acts of sabotage, intimidation or violence, making attribution more difficult and allowing the Kremlin to deny any involvement.

Former CIA director General David Petraeus has warned that Vladimir Putin could use gangs to launch terrorist-style attacks against Britain, telling The i Paper that Russia could turn to “gang members to carry out something that would not be as clearly attributable to the Russians”.

He said there should be an expectation of more Russian “grey-zone activities”, pointing to Moscow’s history of assassinations and covert operations.

MI5 Director General Sir Ken McCallum has previously made a similar warning, saying Russia is “turning to proxies for their dirty work, including private intelligence operatives and criminals”.

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