Russia is prepared to launch a series of cyberattacks against the UK and other NATO members as part of its efforts to weaken support for Ukraine, a senior UK government minister will warn in a speech on Monday.
Moscow “will not hesitate” to exploit gaps in defenses to target businesses in the UK, and allies should not “underestimate” the threat it poses, says Pat McFadden, a senior UK minister whose portfolio includes national security.
In a speech at the NATO Cyber Defence Conference at Lancaster House, the minister is expected to say:
“Strong military power is one thing. But cyber warfare can be destabilizing and weakening. With a cyberattack, Russia could turn off the lights for millions of people. It could shut down power grids. This is the covert war Russia is waging with Ukraine…”
Given the scale of this hostility, my message to members today is clear: no one should underestimate the Russian cyber threat to NATO. The threat is real. Russia is extremely aggressive and reckless in the cyber domain.
McFadden is expected to specifically call out Unit 29155, a Russian military unit that the government claims has previously been involved in a number of cyberattacks in the UK and Europe.
There are also “unofficial hacker groups” and mercenaries who are not directly under Kremlin control but are allowed to operate with impunity as long as they do not work against Putin’s interests, he will say.
The warnings come as tensions between Russia and the West have escalated dramatically, with Vladimir Putin warning that the war in Ukraine bears the characteristics of a “global conflict.”
The rising friction has sparked new concerns in London and other Western capitals that Putin may escalate cyberattacks and other non-military measures.
