We must be clearer with the public about the threat of Russia

3 min read3 hr

The government is committed to increasing the defence budget, but to bring the public onside they need to be transparent about Russia’s aggression.

It is hard to imagine life without the internet. What would happen if we were suddenly plunged into darkness? No maps app to guide us. No way to communicate easily.

This isn’t a distant dystopian fiction, it’s a very real hybrid war threat.

Undersea cables carrying the majority of global internet traffic are vulnerable. In recent months, the dangers have become much clearer. Germany, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania and Estonia have all reported damage to their undersea cables, with many holding Russia responsible.

Last month, Defence Secretary John Healey gave a statement to Parliament on Russia’s Maritime Activity. He told the public that when the Yantar, a Russian spy ship, had passed through British waters on Tuesday 21 January, he ordered a Royal Navy submarine to surface next to it, to “make clear that we had been covertly monitoring its every move”.

This announcement represents a bold and decisive change in approach.

Traditionally, such operations have been classified at the highest levels. For decades, during the Cold War and in the relative peace since, the British government has strived to keep highly classified any military action involving peer adversaries like Russia and China.

However, since 2024, senior military leaders have tried to communicate that Western Europe is no longer safe. In December, the head of NATO, Mark Rutte, called for a “shift to a wartime mindset”. Speaking at RUSI a week earlier, the UK Defence Chief said: "We need to sense the risk of tragedy to ensure we avoid it. And that risk of tragedy is growing".

Healey’s public statements have shown cold, hard resolve. His words to Parliament will be heard crystal clear in the Kremlin: “We see you”.

Perhaps even more significantly, however, his message has been heard by the British public. Armed Forces Minister, Luke Pollard, was out in the media that evening openly discussing submarine operations. That is not something that happens at peacetime.

While there was no violent intent, military assets brushing up close brings inherent risk. In 2022, above the Black Sea, a Russian fighter jet nearly shot down an RAF Rivet Joint, an unarmed surveillance craft carrying 30 British service personnel. Russia claimed it was a misunderstanding caused by a malfunction, which the UK publicly accepted at the time.

This is the backdrop for the government’s intent to raise defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP. Bear in mind that the 0.3 per cent of GDP we directly gift to Ukraine — and rightly so — is included in that.

In comparison, from 1969 until 1988, the UK spent between 4 per cent and 5 per cent of GDP on defence every year.

But with increasingly stretched public services budgets elsewhere, the path to higher beefing up our Armed Forces will be impossible to follow without public support.

The British public has always shown immense strength and resilience in times of conflict. I do not doubt that they will rise to this challenge, and rally behind what is needed to secure our safety and security. But this will only happen if the public understands the scale of the threats that we face.

Healey’s decision to tell them about Russia’s activities is a strong first step.

Fred Thomas is the Labour MP for Plymouth Moor View.

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