Former foreign office head says ministers must be honest about immediate Russian threat to UK

A warning about cyber-attacks

Lord Ricketts said Russia could use cyber-assaults against British banking systems, energy supplies or water services. He called for increased investment to make these essential sectors more resilient.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Ricketts urged ministers to explain to the public what might lie ahead. He said Russian actions aimed to weaken morale in Ukraine and in European countries.

Ricketts warned that hybrid attacks were becoming more reckless and dangerous, and said people could eventually be killed. He argued that responding would require the government to find funding.

Pressure to protect infrastructure

Ricketts called for more spending to protect infrastructure in Britain, including energy, transport, air traffic control and defence. His comments focused on improving resilience against attacks. He also rejected Andy Burnham’s claim that he wanted to act as a “bridge” between the US and Ukraine.

Other officials raise concerns

Ricketts’s warning followed recent comments from MI5 director general Sir Ken McCallum and chief of the general staff Gen Sir Roly Walker. McCallum said MI5 was dedicating more resources to hostile-state threats than during the cold war and called Russia the “number one aggressor”. Walker, a former special forces commander, said soldiers would probably have to fight in a war, citing the “extreme jeopardy in the world at the moment”.

US and Ukraine tensions

The article also reports that Trump described a decision to pause sanctions as being in the US “national interest”, although he had previously signed the sanctions into law in September. Trump also suggested Ukraine needed a new president. Volodymyr Zelenskyy responded at an EU summit, saying it was nice to be among “real leaders”.