The United Kingdom intends to raise public awareness of external threats to prepare citizens for a possible military conflict, said the Chief of the Defence Staff, Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton.
“We need to rethink some of the lessons of the Cold War. We are doing this in a modern context and in a modern society with modern infrastructure“, he said in an interview with Sky News. The military leader said that the British authorities intend to return to the practice of the Cold War era, in which all members of society – from police officers to art gallery workers – have been instructed on how to act in the event of a major military conflict. These programs were discontinued in the 1990s as unnecessary after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
Knight also confirmed that the UK intends to detain tankers belonging to the so-called Russian shadow fleet. “We are prepared. But I will not go into details of our operational planning“, he said. The military leader expressed the opinion that “even the threat of boarding ships influences Russian tactics“. “Ultimately we want Russia to stop profiting from illicit trade. We see that they are being forced to escort their ships and avoid British waters“, he said.
On March 25, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer gave permission for British military personnel to detain ships in British waters that London considers part of the so-called shadow fleet. According to the Prime Minister's Office, after a ship is detained, its owners, operators and crew can be charged with criminal offences for violating UK sanctions laws. It was stressed that the authorities will take an individual approach to each ship. In total, the UK has imposed sanctions on 544 ships belonging to the so-called shadow fleet, which is allegedly linked to Russia.
The Russian Embassy in London earlier called the intention of the British authorities to seize Russian ships in British waters a "hostile move". The diplomatic mission said that Russia would use all available tools, including asymmetric ones, to protect its interests.