Eliza Manningham-Buller, former head of MI5, recently suggested that those who believe the UK is already at war with Russia “may be right” after a series of sinister incidents
An expert has warned that Russia is “testing the water” with a range of terrifying war strategies in an attempt to send a message to the UK and NATO.
The ex-chief of MI5, Eliza Manningham-Buller, has recently suggested that those who think the UK is already embroiled in a conflict with Russia “may be right”.
The alarming revelation comes on the heels of former White House adviser Dr Fiona Hill’s statement in June, where she declared that Moscow is at war with the West due to “the poisonings, assassinations, sabotage operations, all kinds of cyber attacks and influence operations.”
She admitted that it was a fair assessment to say “Russia is at war with us”. Echoing this sentiment, Manningham-Buller remarked in an interview: “Since the invasion of Ukraine, and the various things I read that the Russians have been doing here, sabotage, intelligence collection, attacking people, and so on.
“Fiona Hill may be right in saying we’re already at war with Russia. It’s a different sort of war, but the hostility, the cyber-attacks, the physical attacks, the intelligence work is extensive.”
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Poland, Denmark, and Estonia have all reported incursions by Russian aircraft. The most recent occurred in Poland during a wave of strikes by the Kremlin on Ukraine.
The immediate NATO reaction heightened concerns that the conflict could escalate – a worry that has been intensifying across Europe as Russia intensifies its assaults and peace negotiations stall.
Professor Natasha Lindstaedt, from the University of Essex, believes that Russia is “testing the water” with the UK and NATO through its use of “hybrid war tactics.”
Speaking exclusively to The Mirror, the expert revealed: “The recent drone activity over Denmark, Estonia, Poland are examples of where Russia is creating huge headaches, psychological uncertainty, where the goal is to perforate, unnerve, disrupt and disorient the enemy. This is referred to as sharp power, and is something that Russia wields with expert precision.”
Professor Lindstaedt acknowledged that although Russia is angry that it is “unable” to triumph in a conventional conflict, its objective is to “send a message” to the UK and NATO.
She added: “As Russia is unable to win a conventional war with Ukraine or with the West more generally, it has to engage in hybrid tactics and we will see more examples of Russia testing the water, and the boundaries of what is acceptable.
“Russia also wants to send a message to the UK and other NATO countries to stay out of the conflict and Ukraine or possibly face repercussions, of which could cause disruption, economic pain (if an airport has to close down), and uncertainty.
“The UK and other nations must be better equipped to counter cyber threats and drones; our dependence on multi-million dollar equipment won’t suffice.”