The Russian Federation is preparing a physical attack on Western countries whose intelligence agencies are concerned about Moscow's intelligence services' links to cyberattacks and sabotage, according to the UK Government Communications Headquarters Director, Anna Keast-Butler, RBC-Ukraine.
She was appointed to lead British signal intelligence operations in May last year, and in her first major speech, she emphasized the immediate threat posed by the Kremlin.
She told the cybersecurity experts in Birmingham that her agency believes Moscow is looking to go further than just attacks in cyberspace.
Her signal agency is increasingly concerned about growing links between Russian intelligence services and proxy groups for cyberattacks, surveillance and sabotage operations. She added that the UK's support for Ukraine remains steadfast.
Keast-Butler also said that Russian President Vladimir “Putin has not given up on his maximalist goal of subjugating the population of Ukraine”.
Threats of Russia's attack on NATO members
After the invasion of Ukraine, Western countries began to fear that Russia would decide to invade a NATO member. Therefore, countries began to increase defense spending and prepare for various scenarios.
At the same time, NATO is not fully convinced that Russia will dare to attack the Alliance. For example, the commander of the Finnish Armed Forces, General Janne Jaakkola, said that Russia may not directly attack NATO countries, but will continue hybrid attacks, such as signal jamming and interference in elections.
