New military threats! Britain is preparing for attack by Russia and Iran

The UK government is preparing for the possibility of an attack on its territory by Russia or Iran, The Guardian reports, citing the government's security strategy.

According to a British government review, Russia's military buildup and Iran's increasingly frequent attacks abroad mean the country could soon be embroiled in a civil war.

The warning echoes recent comments by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that without a significant increase in defense spending, Britons "had better learn to speak Russian".

"Some adversaries are laying the groundwork for future conflict by positioning themselves to act quickly to provoke serious disruptions to our energy and/or supply chains to deter us from confronting their aggression. For the first time in many years, we must actively prepare for the possibility that the UK could be directly threatened, possibly in a war scenario," the government's security strategy states.

In a written foreword to the review, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer argued that the world had changed.

"Russian aggression threatens our continent. Strategic competition is intensifying. Extremist ideologies are on the rise. Technology is changing the nature of both war and domestic security. Hostile states are operating on British soil," the British Prime Minister added.

The document was published on Tuesday, June 24. The security review takes a closer look at the threats facing the country both at home and abroad, with Russia cited as the main one, given its frequent cyberattacks and sabotage attempts.

"The war (between Russia and Ukraine) has been accompanied by a campaign of indirect activity - including cyberattacks and sabotage - by Russia against the UK and other NATO allies, as well as the use of heightened nuclear rhetoric in an attempt to constrain our decision-making," the review notes.

The document particularly highlights the threat posed by Russia to the UK's undersea cables, which carry 99% of the country's digital data and which are said to be subject to "continuous and increasing" attacks by Russian submarines.

It is also noted that the review identifies Iran as a particular threat, given Tehran's alliance with Moscow and the regime's increased attacks on dissidents abroad.

“Iran's hostile activity on British soil is also increasing, as part of the Iranian regime's efforts to silence its critics abroad, and directly threatens the United Kingdom,“ the report states.

In January, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that, given the growth of the Russian army, there was a possibility of a Russian attack on NATO countries in 2029-2030. In this regard, he stressed the importance of strengthening the Alliance's defense capabilities beforehand.