Russia bigger threat to UK than terror groups

Russia “indisputably” now poses a bigger threat to Britain’s security than terrorist groups like Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda, the head of the British army said in an interview published yesterday.

General Mark Carleton-Smith warned Moscow had shown a willingness to use its military to pursue its national interests while seeking to “exploit Western vulnerabilities”. “Russia today indisputably represents a far greater threat to our national security than Islamic extremist threats such as Al-Qaeda and (IS),” he told The Daily Telegraph.

“Russia has embarked on a systematic effort to explore and exploit Western vulnerabilities, particularly in some of the non-traditional areas of cyber, space, undersea warfare.” Carleton-Smith, 54, said following IS battlefield loses in Syria and Iraq, the Western alliance must switch focus to the threat posed by Russia -- and do so through NATO.