Ministers must be honest about Russian threat to UK, says former Foreign Office head
Source: The Guardian ·
Peter Ricketts calls for more resilience in protecting banking, energy and water systems from cyber-assaultsMinisters need to be honest with the British public about the immediate threat posed by Russia, which could soon lead to lives being lost, a former national security adviser has said.Peter Ricketts, who advised David Cameron when he was prime minister, became the latest figure to warn…
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Ministers need to be honest with the British public about the immediate threat posed by Russia, which could soon lead to lives being lost, a former national security adviser has said. Peter Ricketts, who advised David Cameron when he was prime minister, became the latest figure to warn about the scale of the threat posed by “hybrid attacks” from Vladimir Putin’s forces. The peer, who is the former top civil servant in the Foreign Office, said banking systems, energy or water supplies could be targeted by Kremlin cyber-assaults. He called for further investment in resilience for key sectors. It comes in a week where the heads of MI5 and the British army have warned about the danger posed by Moscow. Lord Ricketts also dismissed Andy Burnham’s claim he wanted to be a “bridge” between the US and Ukraine. Relations between Washington and Kyiv deteriorated sharply this week after Donald Trump waived a number of economic sanctions on Russia and suggested Ukraine needed a new leader.…