"Incidents like the 2006 assassination of former FSB officer Alexander Litvinenko via radioactive polonium-210, and the notorious Novichok poisoning of Sergei Skripal in Salisbury should be seen in that context, although they are extreme examples.
More recent examples include the Leyton warehouse arson in March 2024 — where Russia was found to have recruited proxies to set fire to a Ukrainian-owned commercial facility — or the 2024 and 2025 reconnaissance by the Russian vessel Yantar, which was detected loitering near the UK’s critical underwater infrastructure.
But while Russia is content meddling with British affairs from afar, the Kremlin remains highly aware that direct strikes on the UK would be “playing with fire,” says Glod, given the mutual defence agreement between allies in Nato."
Framing: assertive ·
First seen: 2026-08-21 ·
Last seen: 2026-08-21 ·
Spread: 1 articles