William Hague today warns the ‘slumbering’ West they must wake up to the threat posed by Vladimir Putin’s murderous regime (file pic)
William Hague today warns the ‘slumbering’ West they must wake up to the threat posed by Vladimir Putin’s murderous regime.
The former Foreign Secretary said Russia is drawing up plots to attack on Britain’s infrastructure to wreak havoc to our communications and financial systems.
And he said the Kremlin is overseeing the development of new deadly poisons to wage a new generation of chemical warfare.
He said the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury must jolt politicians in the West to finally take on the threat posed by Putin.
Writing in a column today, Lord Hague laid bare the sheer scale of the threat posed by Russia which is flexing its muscles on the world stage.
He said: ‘Can it really be true that the Russians are equipping themselves to snap the undersea cables on which all our communications and finances depend? Afraid so.
‘Are they actually positioning themselves to hack into our vital national infrastructure and disrupt it? Looks like it.
‘Can they possibly maintain Soviet levels of espionage and covert activity in our free European societies? You bet they can.
‘Are they flying aggressive sorties to test our air defences? Yup.
‘And surely they’re not developing new chemicals and deadly poisons as well? Of course they are.’
Lord Hague said the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia (pictured together) in Salisbury must jolt politicians in the West to finally take on the threat posed by Putin
Lord Hague said Russia has emerged from the past 15 years as a rival system of ‘authoritarian capitalism’ where ‘murder, extortion and external aggression are allowed’.
What action could Britain take against Russia if the Kremlin is shown to be behind the poison spy plot?
Expel diplomats:
Britain could expel Russia’s ambassador and other diplomats based at the embassy in Kensington Palace Gardens – round the corner from where Prince William and Kate live.
If MI5 have tabs on a Russian spy ring in the UK, Britain could take this poison plot as a reason to expel them.
Impose sanctions:
Britain already has an extensive range of sanctions against Russia as a result of the invasion of Crimea and eastern Ukraine, but we could extend them.
The UK could also impose sanctions on named individuals if they are linked to the murder attempt.
Britain could pass the ‘Magnitsky List’ mirroring US laws imposing travel bans on senior Kremlin officials responsible for the death of Russian accountant Sergei Magnitsky in a prison in 2009.
Britain could enact the Magnitsky amendment, imposed conditions on Putin’s cronies. The act is named after Sergei Magnitsky, a lawyer who died in custody after exposing corruption
World Cup boycott
Official representation could be withdrawn from the World Cup in Russia if Kremlin links are proven.
Prime Minister Theresa May told MPs last week that the Government would “look at whether ministers and other dignitaries should attend” the tournament in that event.
The Duke of Cambridge has already said he has no plans to attend.
There have been calls for the England team to boycott the tournament but their withdrawal would probably have little impact.
A coordinated protest, involving the withdrawal of multiple countries, would be far more effective in damaging Vladimir Putin’s showcase international event. However, experts say the nerve agent poisoning is unlikely to create enough international momentum to trigger a wider boycott.
Statement of condemnation
Britain may call on the support its closest allies if there is evidence of a Russian murder attempt on UK soil.
A joint statement of international condemnation could be issued from leaders including French President Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Angela Merkel, warning Russia that such actions will not be tolerated.
He said politicians who declared Russia was no longer a threat, signed lucrative contracts to advise its energy giants and downgraded their own military capability in response to the end of the Cold War, have all been proven wrong.
And he used his column in The Telegraph to hit out politicians like John McDonnell and ex SNP leader Alex Salmond who have taken the country’s rouble to appear on its propaganda channel Russia Today.
He said that while the attempted murder of Colonel Skripal and his daughter has shocked the country, it is just the latest in a long list of crimes directed by the Kremlin.
The murder of Alexander Litvinenko, the invasion of Crimea by Russian soldiers not wearing uniforms or insignia, and the civil war in Eastern Ukraine all show Russia is a ‘serious and long term threat’ to the West’s interests, he said.
And he warned that China must not be allowed to go the same way as Russia after Xi Jinping overhauled the constitution to lift the two-term limit on leaders.
The move makes him the most powerful leader in China since Mao Zedong and critics have warned the country has slipped into a dangerous authoritarianism.
Lord Hague said: ‘The slumbering West will have to wake up.
‘If we allow a totalitarian society to jump ahead of us in new technology by the middle of the century, our way of life will be in deep trouble.
‘And, more immediately, if we permit an authoritarian system in Europe itself to treat nations and free people as it wishes, we will see the rapid undermining of our freedom to determine our own future.
‘It is time for apologists to recant, optimists to become realists, and pacifists to slink away.
‘Whatever measures Britain takes against Russia, what will really count is a realisation, from Washington to Brussels to Berlin, that a full scale strategy of the West is needed to show strength and resolve in the face of unacceptable behaviour.
‘That won’t happen this week. Deadly nerve agent in a Salisbury pub will not tip the balance on its own, even though the PM’s strong statement in the Commons yesterday was fully justified.
‘It will contribute in a small way to opening the eyes of more people, even of some who do not wish to see.’
Theresa May last night dramatically pointed the finger at Vladimir Putin last night over the nerve gas attack on a former spy and could order a cyber attack against Russia in retaliation.
The Prime Minister said the facts increasingly suggested Russia was behind the apparent ‘hit’ on double-agent Mr Skripal in Salisbury.
Branding the attack a ‘reckless and despicable act’, Mrs May said the substance used was a ‘military grade’ agent Moscow has produced.
Mrs May said the government would not accept such an attempt to ‘murder innocent civilians on our soil’.
Theresa May has set the Russians the deadline of midnight tonight to explain how the Skripals were poisoned or Britain will hit back
She will decide on a range of sanctions over the next 24 hours after urgent talks with Nato, the United Nations, EU and US.
The Prime Minister will also draw up a secret package of measures against Russia which will never be revealed.
This could include targeting the Kremlin’s propaganda machine. Whitehall sources said yesterday they were accelerating their offensive cyber programme and could hit select targets for a specific effect.