A former head of the British navy has issued a stark warning that Russia's invasion of Ukraine could spiral into a full-scale war with the Western defence alliance, stating that the UK is effectively already in a state of conflict with Moscow.
Senior Figures Sound the Alarm
Admiral Lord West, the ex-First Sea Lord, voiced his grave concerns on the Lord Speaker’s Corner podcast. He explained that finding a peaceful exit from the current situation is incredibly difficult, as nobody wants a total war between NATO and Russia. He stated that while Russia would undoubtedly lose such a conventional war, the grave danger lies in the potential for a 'stupid mistake' – the use of nuclear weapons.
Appearing on the same podcast, Lord Robertson, a former Secretary General of NATO, delivered an equally sobering assessment. He declared that the UK is 'under-prepared, under insured, under attack and not safe'. He pointed to the escalating threats against the nation's critical digital infrastructure as clear evidence of this vulnerability.
The Invisible Cyber War
Lord Robertson emphasised that while this threat may not be visible on the streets or in Parliament, the UK is actively 'under attack in the cyber world'. He dismissed the notion that recent widespread cyber-outages are mere coincidence, suggesting they are part of a coordinated campaign.
He attributed this 'organisation of sabotage right across the continent of Europe' to the GRU, Russia's military intelligence agency. Furthermore, he highlighted a disturbing trend of Moscow outsourcing its hacking operations to freelance criminal groups, applying a 'good capitalist principle' to its cyber warfare efforts.
A primary target, he warned, is the UK's network of undersea cables, which carry 99 percent of all the data the country uses. These vital arteries are 'vulnerable' and are being watched and, in some cases, actively attacked. He painted a stark picture of the consequences, predicting public outrage 'when the lights go out, and the hospitals close down, and the data centres melt'.
Catastrophic MOD Security Breach
These warnings follow a major security incident last month described as 'catastrophic'. Russian hackers, believed to be from a group called Lynx, stole hundreds of sensitive military documents and posted them on the dark web.
The breach was executed by hacking a third-party maintenance and construction contractor used by the Ministry of Defence, the Dodd Group. This 'gateway' attack allowed the cyber criminals to bypass the MoD's own robust defences.
The leaked files contained sensitive information about eight RAF and Royal Navy bases, including:
- RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, home to US Air Force F-35 stealth jets and believed to house US nuclear bombs.
- RAF Portreath, a top-secret radar station integral to NATO's air defence network.
- RAF Predannack, now the base for the UK's National Drone Hub.
Additionally, the hackers obtained and released details of contractors' names, car registrations, and mobile numbers, as well as MoD personnel's names and email addresses. Some of the compromised documents were marked 'Controlled' or 'Official Sensitive'. The MoD has confirmed it is investigating the enormous data breach.
