Britain could already be “at war” with Russia, according to the former head of MI5, who warned that Vladimir Putin’s campaign of cyber-attacks, espionage and sabotage against the UK amounts to conflict.
Baroness Eliza Manningham-Buller said Moscow’s operations are extensive and align with concerns raised by Russia expert Fiona Hill, who has argued that Britain may already be in a state of war with the Kremlin. Speaking on the House of Lords’ Lord Speaker’s Corner podcast, the former MI5 chief highlighted cyber operations, intelligence activity, physical attacks and sabotage carried out by Moscow.
The warning comes as the Metropolitan Police’s counter-terrorism commander, Dominic Murphy, revealed a sharp rise in children being recruited by Russia to commit crimes in the UK. He reported a fivefold increase in threats from hostile states since the 2018 Salisbury poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, with “tens” of young people identified as being targeted by Russian operatives.
Meanwhile, Russia launched one of its largest air assaults on Ukraine since the full-scale invasion began in February 2022. Kyiv was hit with a 12-hour bombardment that killed at least four people, including a 12-year-old girl.
Ukraine’s air force said it had tracked nearly 600 drones and more than 40 cruise or ballistic missiles in the attack. The strikes were so severe that Poland’s air force was scrambled and airspace was closed near its border with Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the assault as “deliberate and targeted terror” and backed former US president Donald Trump’s call for Europe to stop buying Russian oil, insisting that “anyone who wants peace” should support the measure.
At home, MI5 is expanding recruitment in an effort to strengthen Britain’s defences. Members of the public are being invited to apply as undercover surveillance officers, with the primary requirement being the ability to “blend into the background”. The role involves tracking terror suspects on foot or by car, following an intensive six-month training programme described as “physically and mentally exhausting” by one recruit.
The combined warnings underline growing concerns that while Russia continues its campaign in Ukraine, it is also waging a covert war on British soil.
