Former UK security adviser urges honesty on Russian threat

Ricketts, who advised David Cameron when he was prime minister and was the former top civil servant in the Foreign Office, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that banking systems, energy or water supplies could be targeted by Kremlin cyber-assaults. He called for further investment in resilience for key sectors. "I think they've really got to start a conversation with the British people about what may be coming, because not only is Putin trying to break morale in Ukraine, he's also trying to undermine morale in European countries," he said.

Asked about the impact of Russian disruption, Ricketts said he was not predicting "industrial war with tanks rolling across the north German plain." He added: "But these hybrid tanks are getting more reckless, more dangerous. One day, people are going to land up being killed somewhere, and so we are going to have to look at responding in that sense and finding the money to do it."

The comments came in a week when the director general of MI5, Sir Ken McCallum, and the chief of the general staff, Gen Sir Roly Walker, warned about the danger posed by Moscow. On Tuesday, McCallum said MI5 was devoting more resources to combating threats from hostile states than it did during the Cold War and described Russia as the "number one aggressor." On Friday, Walker told 700 troops at Catterick garrison in North Yorkshire that politicians would soon need to have a "frank conversation" about the "sacrifices" needed to prioritize defense and security. Walker, a former special forces commander, said soldiers would probably need to fight in a war, given the "extreme jeopardy in the world at the moment."

Ricketts's warning also followed a difficult week for Kyiv, with the US appearing to withdraw support. Donald Trump waived a number of economic sanctions on Russia and suggested Ukraine needed a new leader. Trump said the decision to pause sanctions was in the US "national interest," despite previously signing them into law in September. Last week, he lifted restrictions on Russian diesel amid spiraling fuel prices in the US ahead of the midterm elections. Volodymyr Zelenskyy hit back this week during an EU summit, saying it was nice to be among "real leaders." There are also concerns that the US has withdrawn intelligence sharing with Ukraine, leaving towns and cities across the country vulnerable to attack.

Ricketts also dismissed Andy Burnham's claim that he wanted to be a "bridge" between the US and Ukraine. Speaking about Burnham's comments this week, Ricketts said: "I don't really go on this bridge business. I mean, I don't think in Trump's current mood there's any influence that Britain can have in the short term."

Ricketts said the government should spend more money on protections for key infrastructure in Britain, including energy, transport, air traffic control and defense. "They all need better protection, and that's an argument that needs to be had with the British people because we need to find the money to do it," he said.

Editor's Summary

Former UK national security adviser Peter Ricketts has urged ministers to be candid about Russia's hybrid threat, warning that attacks on critical infrastructure could cause deaths. His intervention followed warnings from MI5 and army chiefs and came as US sanctions relief and remarks about Ukraine's leadership deepened uncertainty over support for Kyiv.