‘Most dangerous period’ of his adult life: UK military chief issues stark warning on Russian threat

A threat beyond hybrid activity

Sir Richard, the chief of the defence staff, said Britain was not keeping pace with its European allies in facing Russia. He described the current period as the most dangerous he had experienced as an adult.

Investigation into bomb threats

European security officials said they were examining whether bomb threats targeting airlines and news organisations across Europe had come from Russia. Intelligence and security agencies are conducting a cross-border inquiry into the threats’ origin.

Officials told the FT that attribution remained a long way off. The investigation is ongoing, and its findings have not yet established who was responsible.

Public readiness and defence

Sir Richard said the government would need to explain the Russian threat to the public while making the case for greater defence spending. He also told the BBC that he was responding to a government call for households to keep food and water supplies in case hostile states disrupt services.

Asked about his own emergency kit, he said he and his wife had been thinking about preparations and had cleared cupboards over the weekend. He noted there were many tins in the Knighton household, and said emergency services and the armed forces were the nation’s first line of defence.

Sir Richard said everyone could help prepare. He linked lessons from Russia’s war against Ukraine to military readiness, industrial capacity and national resilience, arguing that preparation was intended to deter conflict, not to prepare for war.