Russia wants to harm us: it’s time to take that seriously

Former chief of the defence staff tells Kate Devlin that UK households and businesses must prepare for potential threats

- Kate Devlin

Vladimir Putin intends to cause the UK harm and it is “time to be serious” about threats facing Britain, a former military chief has warned.

Stuart Peach, former chief of the defence staff, said Russia poses “a threat to our way of life”, amid increasing concern that the UK’s undersea cables – which are vital to internet access, financial transactions and the sharing of essential data – are vulnerable to sabotage.

But he warned that Britain was not prepared to deal with potential threats to the nation, such as widespread power cuts and full-scale war.

He said: “The fact that Russia intends us harm - whether it’s economic disruption or the ‘dark arts’, as you might call them - I think the evidence is clear.”

His warning came in a joint interview with The Independent alongside the chair of the House of Lords National Resilience Committee, Jean Coussins.

The two crossbench peers, who are not politically aligned, highlighted the need for a sense of “urgency” when it comes to Britain preparing for potential threats.