The threat of a Russian missile attack on Britain is the highest since the end of the Cold War, a report has warned.
Vladimir Putin’s fleet of rocket-laden submarines and warships off the coast of Norway are posing an acute threat to the UK, a study by a think tank called the Council on Geostrategy has found.
Russia’s Northern fleet, which carries 800 cruise missiles including ones like the Kalibr capable of hitting a target more than 1,500 miles away, could be used to launch an attack on Britain, which does not have enough air defences to protect itself, according to the report.
‘The missile threat is the most stark it has been since the end of the Cold War,’ the report seen by the Times states.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer asked for a review to determine where Britain’s armed forces are vulnerable, with the findings handed to ministers who are now deciding how much of the review should be made public.
It is expected that – if published in full – the report will outline the armed forces’ lack of air defences against missiles, as Britain’s Type 45 naval destroyers would struggle to fend off attacks like the ones Russia is currently raining down on Ukraine.
The Council of Geostrategy said in its report that ‘it may be wise’ to boost Britain’s air defences on Royal Navy carriers due to the cost of ground-based systems, even though the latter should also be bought ‘in an ideal world’.
Other European countries have already bolstered their air defences, with Germany signing a £3billion deal to buy Israel’s Arrow 3 antiballistic missile systems – considered one of the best in the world.
Vladimir Putin’s fleet of rocket-laden submarines and warships off the coast of Norway are posing an acute threat to the UK, a study by a think tank called the Council on Geostrategy has found (file image of a Russian warship)
Russia’s Northern fleet, which carries 800 cruise missiles including ones like the Kalibr capable of hitting a target more than 1,500 miles away, could be used to launch an attack on Britain, which does not have enough air defences to protect itself (file image of a Russian nuclear submarine sending off a missile during a drill)
According to the Council of Geostrategy, Russia has a ‘limited’ amount of ballistic missiles capable of reaching the UK.
But the report warns that Russia, China and Iran are putting money towards the development of hypersonic and ballistic missiles.
‘As ranges increase, the British Isles will increasingly come under potential threat,’ the authors reportedly warned.
The authors added that the UK should buy ‘several more’ batteries of the Sky Sabre and other existing ground-launched systems to defend British military bases.
Additionally, anti-aircraft guns like the German Gepard system used in Ukraine should be bought as a defence against drones.
Off Norway, where a fleet of Russian warships are located, the report argues that the Royal Navy should focus on defending the ‘Svalbard-Tromso gap’ and keep an eye on Russian submarines positioning themselves in range for cruise-missiles to hit Britain.
Meanwhile, ministers should increase the order of E-7 Wedgetail aircrafts that can detect incoming missiles early on from three to five, which were initially ordered.
‘Britain’s geography gives it distinct advantages, but the missile threat is growing,’ William Freer, a research fellow at the Council on Geostrategy, said.
Image of HMS Diamond, a Type 45 destroyer, currently on operations in the Mediterranean sea, seen here with her Wildcat helicopter test firing it’s defensive aid suite
In this photo provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, The Arkhangelsk nuclear submarine of the Russian navy arrives at its base of the Northern Fleet in Russia
He added that Russia’s fleet off Norway posed the ‘most pressing concern’, but the development of new missiles by China or Iran should also be considered.
Military bases in the UK – including overseas like on the British Indian Ocean Territory – that are ‘essential to Britain sustaining its military force’ are ‘currently too vulnerable’, according to Freer, who said that their protection should be the ‘first priority’.
This comes after Putin ramped up production of a new hypersonic missile he first fired against Ukraine in November, boasting ‘no one in the world has such weapons’.
The Russian despot fired the new Oreshnik missile at the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, after Ukraine fired American ATACMS and British Storm Shadow long-range missiles deep into Russia.
The Oreshnik, which means hazel tree, travels at speeds of around 8,370 miles per hour, and is capable of carrying multiple nuclear warheads.
But Putin told the Russian nation in a televised address that the missile fired at a military-industrial site in Dnipro used conventional warheads.
After firing the Oreshnik, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned Britain and America of their ‘reckless’ action in supplying long-range missiles to Ukraine.
Peskov said: ‘The main message is that the reckless decisions and actions of Western countries that produce missiles, supply them to Ukraine, and subsequently participate in strikes on Russian territory cannot remain without a reaction from the Russian side.’
Freer said that Russia’s fleet off Norway posed the ‘most pressing concern’ (file image of Russia’s Northern fleet firing missiles during a drill)
The weapon is not as powerful or fast as Russia’s most fearsome ICBMs like the RS-24 Yars, which is capable of unleashing several separate nuclear warheads anywhere in the US after flying through space at 19,000mph.
But the ‘Oreshnik’ is still a hypersonic projectile that can fly at 10 times the speed of sound – or around 7,600mph – up to a range of roughly 5,000km, or 3,100 miles, according to Russian military sources.
If the missile was launched from the Kapustin Yar range in Russia’s southern Astrakhan region, as it was in yesterday’s strike on Ukraine, Putin could still comfortably hit any target in Europe or the UK without having to turn to his most powerful weapons.
Targets in London would go up in flames in under 20 minutes while Berlin further east would have less than 15 minutes before impact.
Russian military analysts also warned that the Oreshnik was certainly nuclear-capable, despite being armed with conventional warheads in the strike on Ukraine.
