Former security adviser warns ministers to be honest about Russian threat

Ministers must be honest with the British public about the immediate threat posed by Russia, a former national security adviser said. Peter Ricketts warned that hybrid attacks from Russian forces could soon lead to lives being lost. The Guardian reported his comments on October 17. [1]

Peter Ricketts served as national security adviser under former Prime Minister David Cameron and is the former top civil servant in the Foreign Office. According to the Guardian, he called for greater resilience to protect critical infrastructure, including banking systems, energy supplies, and water networks, from cyber-assaults. [1]

The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office is the ministerial department responsible for foreign affairs in the United Kingdom government. As FTMQ News reported earlier, MI5 chief Sir Ken McCallum also warned that Russia poses the biggest threat to the United Kingdom. [4][8]

The warning follows wider diplomatic activity involving Russian officials. WANA News Agency reported that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will visit Tehran on October 19. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation also announced his participation in the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia summit in Baku. [2][3]