2LT International News

LONDON, U.K. – With ties between the United Kingdom and Russia worsening in recent months, the new British Army chief has now warned the country about the threat that the Vladimir Putin-led country poses. 

In a strong statement against Russia, the new British Army chief General Mark Carleton-Smith declared that Russia poses a far greater threat to U.K.’s national security, than any Islamic terrorist groups. 

The new British Army chief has warned that the U.K. cannot be complacent about the threat that Russia poses “or leave it uncontested.”

Speaking in an interview with the Daily Telegraph, General Carleton-Smith, has said that Russia “indisputably” poses a far greater threat to national security than Islamic terrorist groups such as Al Qaida and ISIS.

The 54-year-old former SAS commander, who graduated from Sandhurst military academy in the final years of the Cold War, led the hunt for Osama bin Laden after the 9/11 terror attacks.

He later spearheaded Britain’s role in the campaign to defeat ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

In his first ever interview since being appointed Chief of the General Staff in June this year, General Carleton-Smith warned that Russia had made it clear that it is prepared to use force to expand its interests.

He pointed out that Russia had been “systematic” in its efforts to exploit cyber space and undersea military arenas.

He added during the interview, “The Russians seek to exploit vulnerability and weakness wherever they detect it. Russia today indisputably represents a far greater threat to our national security than Islamic extremist threats such as al-Qaida and ISIS.”

The Army chief also noted that since the threat from Islamist groups in the Middle East has reduced by years of concerted international military action, “the focus needs to shift to Russia.”

He warned, “We cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses or leave it uncontested.”

Russia faces global anger

In recent years, Russia has faced immense anger globally and has been condemned by world leaders over its annexation of Crimea and its role in the conflict in Ukraine.

The country was also blamed for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17. 

Further, Russia has faced accusations of meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election through aggressive actions in the cyber space.

Both the Russian President and other top intelligence and government officials in the country have repeatedly denied allegations of meddling or colluding with the U.S. President Donald Trump’s campaign in a bid to help him win American presidency.

It has also been accused of carrying out attacks on a number of Western interests, with the U.K. accusing Russia earlier this year, of carrying out a nerve agent attack in Salisbury.

In March this year, the U.K. blamed Russia and its military intelligence unit, the GRU for poisoning the former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, with the military-grade nerve agent Novichok.

Skripal, who sold Russian secrets to MI6 and turned into a double agent, had been living in Salisbury, and was poisoned this year.

Then, last month, the U.K. government accused Russia’s GRU of being behind four high-profile cyberattacks on targets including the U.S. Democratic Party and a small TV network in Britain.

The comments by General Carleton-Smith this week have come a month after the U.K. Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson accused Russia of acting like a “pariah state.”

Following comments by the new British Army chief, the Russian Embassy poked fun at the statement made by him.   

The country has accused British authorities of Russophobia and of ‘disgusting anti-Russian hysteria’ and of misleading the international community.