Russia’s real threat to the UK

Sabotage. Cyber operations. Espionage. Are these the most serious threats to the United Kingdom?

Today’s top story looks at how the UK and its Nato allies should respond drone strike threats from Russia. The Kremlin is warning of grave consequences for Nato countries, and the UK in particular, for providing support to Ukraine—and developments in drone technologies have given Russia a new way to attack. But on our website today, Katia Glod argues that we should not get too focused on these threats, because over-emphasising them will obscure other real dangers to Britain.

Rather than drones, “the more credible route for Russian retaliation [is] sabotage, cyber operations, espionage, electronic interference, pressure on British interests overseas and increasingly aggressive military activity around British and Nato territory”, writes Glod, deputy head of foreign policy and the New Eurasian Strategies Centre thinktank. Such routes already allow Moscow to “inflict damage and create uncertainty”, blurring what the proportionate response should be.

Elsewhere, our legal columnist David Allen Green asks: how should the law be used to prevent mainstream media and social media pile-ons? In direct human relationships, the law can impose sanctions for wrongdoings. But on social media, people are more removed from one another—often too far for legal action to be taken.

In his piece this week, he compares mainstream and social media frenzies to stochastic violence or even terrorism. “Here each individual contribution can be justifiable, at least in the view of that contributor. They will see what they have to say as legitimate and, if challenged, they will invariably assert the righteousness of being able to say what they want to say….But in the aggregate, something quite ferocious, overwhelming and even lethal is created,” writes Green. Agree or disagree? Let us know.

Finally, in today’s Clerical life column, Reverand Alice Goodman wants you to call her by her name (no Timothée Chalamet jokes here please). Alice—as she insists to be called—writes that she used to enjoy addressing someone in Holy Orders like “My Lord Bishop” or “Your Grace,” but now she won’t call anyone anything beyond their Christian name.

Get in touch with your thoughts on today’s Lightbulb at kathryn.schoon@prospectmagazine.co.uk and have a wonderful weekend!