Britain is secretly preparing for a direct military attack amid an increased level of threat from Russia, according to a Monday report by the Telegraph.
British officials have reportedly been instructed to revise 20-year-old contingency plans aimed at preparing the country for a potential wartime stance, after threats of attack from the Kremlin.
Russian officials have issued repeated threats to the UK of a direct attack due to its support for Ukraine. That support may soon include British troops on the ground.
Ministers are concerned that Britain could be both militarily outmatched by Russia and left exposed on the home front due to a lack of preparedness.
Experts have highlighted the nation's vulnerability to attacks on key infrastructure such as gas terminals, undersea cables, nuclear power stations, and major transport networks, the report noted.
UK prepares for possible attack from Russia
The updated defense plan will outline a strategy for the days following an attack on the UK mainland by a hostile foreign state.
It will include scenarios in which Britain is hit by missiles, nuclear warheads, and cyber operations, the Telegraph noted.
The Cabinet Office has already simulated a scenario in which a hostile state simultaneously launches missile and cyberattacks on national infrastructure. A risk assessment published in January concluded that such an attack would likely result in civilian casualties, severe economic damage, and significant disruptions to essential services.
For the first time, the updated contingency plan will include provisions for cyber warfare, which intelligence chiefs have identified as one of the most serious security threats facing the UK today. State-backed hackers are capable of disrupting transport systems, triggering power outages, and temporarily disabling government departments.
In October, MI5 Director Ken McCallum revealed that the number of state-related threats under investigation had risen by 48 percent over the past year, according to the Telegraph.
Despite Donald Trump’s plan for a peace deal in Ukraine, Russian cyberattacks have continued in the UK. These attacks have led to British ministers officially designating Russia a national security threat for the first time.
In response to growing threats from Russia, defense officials have called for Britain to develop its own version of Israel’s Iron Dome to defend against missile attacks.
Last month, a senior Royal Air Force official disclosed that, had the first night of the Ukraine conflict unfolded in the UK, Russian missiles would have breached British defenses and struck critical infrastructure.
Russia, China, and Iran all claim to have developed hypersonic missiles capable of reaching speeds up to ten times the speed of sound, making them far more difficult to intercept than traditional ballistic missiles.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that the UK will allocate 2.5% of its GDP to defense starting in 2027. However, ministers and military leaders have yet to reach an agreement on how the funds will be allocated, as reported by the Telegraph.
A government spokesperson stated, “The UK has robust plans in place for a range of potential emergencies that have been developed and tested over many years.”