Ex-national security chief Sedwill says Britain must 'go on the offensive' with Russia to deter hybrid attacks

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Britain and her allies should make Russia 'feel threatened' as part of their strategy to thwart the Kremlin, a former national security advisor has urged.

Published: 14:43 GMT, 11 November 2026 | Updated: 15:04 GMT, 11 November 2026

Britain and her allies should make Russia ‘feel threatened’ as part of their strategy to thwart the Kremlin, a former national security adviser has urged.

Lord Sedwill, who also served as Cabinet Secretary, warned that a strictly defensive approach was not enough to deter an adversary such as Vladimir Putin.

Rather the UK, working alongside its Nato partners, should make the Russian President realise that his disruptive and illegal actions have consequences.

Lord Sedwill’s intervention comes as the UK is involved in so-called ‘hybrid warfare’ against adversaries such as Russia and Iran.

Russia is also preparing for conflict with Nato by reinforcing command posts along its border with member states, building walls of sandbags and erecting netting designed to prevent attacks by drones.

Former National Security Advisor Lord Sedwill warned a strictly defensive strategy would not be enough for Britain and her NATO allies to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from probing the West's defences.

While British soldiers are preparing for arctic warfare, so too are the Russians. The Atlantic Future Forum heard today how Kremlin forces are reinforcing command posts along their frontline in the High North, building sandbag walls and erecting netting to prevent attacks by drones.

Addressing the Atlantic Future Forum conference aboard HMS Prince of Wales, which has docked in Oslo, Lord Sedwill said: ‘Sometimes the most effective form of defence is to cause a dilemma, it is to go on the offensive.

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