Threats to UK are greater than at any time since the Cold War as Putin ramps up threats, head of Britain’s military says

The British military’s chief said threats to Britain were greater than at any time since the Cold War.

Sir Richard Knighton’s warning comes at a time when Vladimir Putin is increasing his threats against the UK, with Russian jets entering British airspace repeatedly in the first five months of 2026, as well as throughout last year.

The army chief said Russia risked ‘crossing the line’ and described last year’s Strategic Defense Review as a ‘call to arms’ urging the UK armed forces to shift focus from short conflicts to longer wars like the one in Ukraine.

His intervention comes ahead of the publication of the Defense Investment Plan, which is expected to be published before the NATO summit on July 7 after repeated delays.

The document will explain how new equipment and defense infrastructure will be financed over the next decade.

It follows former NATO chief Lord Robertson’s Strategic Defense Review in June last year, which called for greater investment in the armed forces.

Speaking to Radio 4’s Today Programme, Sir Richard said that the threat from Moscow affected all of Europe, and that NATO forces were mixed 700 times in response to Russia’s activities.

Just last week, a Russian drone crashed into an apartment block in Romania, causing a fire and injuring two people.

A Russian Su-27 aircraft. Russian jets will enter British airspace more times in the first five months of 2026 than in the whole of last year, Sir Richard Knighton has warned

In April, British warplanes moved towards the Shetland Islands following reports that an unidentified Russian warplane was flying outside British airspace.

He said: ‘We see Russia probing, challenging and testing our defenses through both conventional and cyber attacks, attempting to smuggle technology, and engaging in reckless sabotage and assassination attempts.’

‘So Russia is increasing the risks and running the risk of crossing the line.’

Sir Richard made a chilling admission, adding that the threats to Britain and its allies were now so high that this was the most dangerous period of his 35-year career.

He continued: ‘Consequently, it is important that we, together with our allies, increase the capacity of our armed forces to deter our enemies from doing anything stupid.

‘The Strategic Defense Review makes clear that the armed forces we have today have been shaped by the world we have faced over the last 25 years, but the world has changed, what is expected of defense has changed and we are expected to do things differently as a result of this changing environment.’

Sir Richard also called for more investment in this area, stating that unmanned aerial vehicles and other autonomous systems are ‘increasingly important in the future of warfare’.

Drones played a crucial role in the Ukrainian war. Earlier this week, Kiev carried out a daring drone strike on the outskirts of St Petersburg just hours before a major economic forum in the Russian city designed to attract foreign investors.

Picture: An apartment block burns in Romania following a Russian drone attack last week

A British Typhoon FGR4 fighter jet. One of the jets took off off the coast of Scotland in April to intercept a Russian warplane.

Echoing Lord Robertson’s earlier claim that Britain’s national security could remain ‘in jeopardy’ unless defense spending is increased, Sir Richard said the government must ‘spend more and do it quickly’.

He said: ‘The Government has committed to spending more on defence, because the Prime Minister said we need to spend more and do it faster. The challenge for ministers is to make these difficult trade-offs, and I am confident that the Prime Minister and ministers understand the threats.

‘Lord Robertson is right that the world is changing and we need to improve our capabilities as threats from potential enemies increase.’

It was previously revealed that the Ministry of Defense faces a £28bn deficit between now and 2030, with the Prime Minister told to have been given the dire financial review before Christmas.

Shadow Defense Secretary James Cartlidge said it was ‘extraordinary’ that military chiefs were being asked to find cuts at a time when there was a ‘war on two fronts’ in the Middle East and Ukraine.

The senior Conservative MP pointed out that Labor had spent nearly £3bn on scrapping the two-child benefit cap, adding: ‘Politics is always about what you prioritize.’

Recent polls have found that Britons are divided on whether to increase defense spending, with many members of the public resistant to the trade-offs and cuts that would follow such a rise.

Ipsos found that 37 per cent of Britons say the government’s spending on defense and the Armed Forces should be increased; even if that means the government takes on extra debt, pays higher taxes, or spends less money on other public services.

Recent polls have found that Britons are divided on whether to increase defense spending, with many members of the public resistant to the trade-offs and cuts that would follow such an increase.

Meanwhile, 40 percent think that defense spending should remain the same, and 15 percent think that defense spending should be reduced.

Nearly half of Britons would oppose increasing defense spending if it meant a reduction in public services spending or a tax increase.

Commenting on the findings, Caroline Paskell, Director of Research at Ipsos in the UK, said: ‘Our latest survey underlines public concern about the financial realities of funding Britain’s armed forces and shows that while there is a desire for a strong military in principle, it is not immune to the intense competitive pressures facing other public services.

‘For example, since the peak in March this year there has been a measurable softening in the proportion of British people who want to see military funding increased, although this proportion remains higher than in 2022.’