Russia could cause chaos and “thousands and thousands and thousands” of deaths with an attack on Britain’s infrastructure and energy supply, the Defence Secretary has warned.
In an interview with The Daily Telegraph, Gavin Williamson says Moscow has been researching and photographing power stations, and could take action that would leave millions of Britons without electricity. The stark assessment is the third serious warning by a UK government official about Russia this week.
On Monday, General Sir Nick Carter said Britain would struggle to combat Russian forces in the event of an attack, both on the battlefield and on civilian services. On Tuesday, the head of the UK National Cyber Security Centre told The Guardian that a crippling cyberattack by Russia on infrastructure such as energy supplies and the financial services sector was expected within two years.
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So what has triggered the latest spate of warnings?
The Kremlin, under Vladimir Putin, says “anti-Russian hysteria is sweeping through the United States and Europe”, Reuters reports.
The Telegraph notes that the warnings coincide with a five-month-long defence spending review.
BBC defence correspondent Jonathan Beale says that while Williamson’s language could be viewed as “alarmist”, the Defence Secretary has been backed up by former first sea lord and security minister Lord Alan West, who told the Telegraph he was “absolutely certain” Russia is trying to infiltrate the UK’s critical infrastructure.
The warnings are not just coming from the Defence Ministry. In November, Theresa May accused Russia of planting fake news stories and meddling in elections to destabilise the West.
