Lord Ricketts Urges UK to Boost Defenses Against Russia

A former UK national security adviser says the government must increase spending to defend against Russian "hybrid attacks" on British infrastructure, according to BBC News. Lord Ricketts told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that more money should go toward the defense budget and toward improving the resilience of energy, transport and air traffic control systems.

What is a hybrid attack, and who does the term bind?

The BBC defines hybrid attacks as non-military methods — including hacking, sabotage and misinformation campaigns — used to destabilize a country without open warfare. Moscow is suspected by European governments of being behind a number of such attacks since the start of the war in Ukraine, but it has consistently denied involvement, per the BBC.

Lord Ricketts, who previously ran the Foreign Office, told the BBC that ministers need to warn the public directly about what could be coming. "Not only is [Russian President Vladimir] Putin trying to break morale in Ukraine, he's also trying to undermine morale in European countries," he said.

"These hybrid attacks are getting more reckless, more dangerous...people are going to end up getting killed somewhere."

He added that he is "not saying there's going to be industrial war with tanks rolling across the north German plain," the BBC reported, drawing a distinction between conventional military escalation and the lower-grade disruption he says is already underway.

What has MI5 said about the scale of the threat?

The warning follows remarks earlier this week by MI5 chief Sir Kevin McCallum, who said in his annual speech that threats to the UK from foreign states — including Russia and Iran — have quadrupled over the past decade, according to the BBC. Lord Ricketts said McCallum's assessment amounted to a stark warning that hybrid attacks on the UK or other NATO territory could get worse.

What incidents have raised alarm elsewhere in Europe?

• Sept. 18: French President Emmanuel Macron said the threat of Russian hybrid attacks against Europe and France had intensified, the BBC reported.
• Sept. 2: Germany said Russia was responsible for a drone attack on Leipzig airport, in which an explosive failed to detonate near Ukrainian cargo planes, according to the BBC.
• This week: MI5's McCallum delivered his annual threat speech citing a quadrupling of state-linked threats over 10 years.
• Oct. 17 (today): Lord Ricketts called for increased UK spending on infrastructure resilience and defense.

How does this connect to US sanctions policy on Russia?

Lord Ricketts's comments come after President Donald Trump blocked sanctions on Russia, a decision Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said "only encourages him [Putin] to keep attacking" Ukraine, per the BBC.

What does Ricketts think the UK's role should be?

Ricketts said UK efforts should focus on the "coalition of the willing" supporting Ukraine rather than on Britain trying to broker talks between Zelensky and Trump. "I don't think in Trump's current mood there is any influence Britain can have in the short term," he told the BBC.

The BBC notes a growing number of European leaders have warned Russia may be testing allied commitment to Ukraine through such attacks.