There is only a “remote” chance Vladimir Putin would physically attack Britain despite all of his threats, according to the UK’s top military chief.
The Russian president has repeatedly threatened to use his nuclear arsenal on Ukraine’s Western allies if they continue to help Kyiv ever since the war began in 2022.
Putin then escalated that rhetoric last month when the UK and the US finally gave Ukraine permission to use their long-range missiles against Russia.
He threatened to “respond resolutely in a mirror way” against countries that which allow use their weapons to be used “against our facilities”.
But, speaking at the RUSI think tank on Wednesday, the chief of defence staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin suggested it was unlikely Russia would actually attack the UK.
As he addressed the dangers which the UK faces right now, he said: “We need to be clear-eyed in our assessment of the threat.
“And then we should be confident in that assessment to make the right policy decisions and investment choices.
“That includes recognising that there is only a remote chance of a significant direct attack or invasion by Russia on the United Kingdom.
“And that is the same for the whole of Nato. Russia knows the response would be overwhelming, whether conventional or nuclear.
“The strategy of deterrence by Nato works and is working. But it has to be kept strong and strengthened against a more dangerous Russia.”
He added: “The UK’s nuclear deterrent is the one part of our inventory of which Russia is most aware and has more impact on Putin than anything else.”
Radakin also spoke of the UK”s strengths by pointing out how united the country is with its allies.
It said: “A Europe and America that represents half the world’s wealth versus a Russia that is facing economic and demographic decline.
“A Nato that spends more on defence than Russia and China combined and is becoming even stronger.
“An international community that has responded to Russia’s aggression with unprecedented cohesion and resolve.”
However, he did still warn that the UK is also “experiencing the consequences of a more unstable world in a way that is also very real” – and that the “security outlook is more contested” now.
Radakin’s remarks come after chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden will say Moscow is waging “a hidden war” against Nato countries away from the traditional battlefield with cyber attacks.
Speaking last month, he warned: “Military hard-power is one thing. But cyberwar can be destabilising and debilitating.
“With a cyber attack, Russia can turn the lights off for millions of people. It can shut down the power grids. This is the hidden war Russia is waging with Ukraine.