Ex-national security chief Sedwill says Britain must 'go on the offensive' with Russia to deter hybrid attacks

Published: 09:43 EST, 11 November 2026 | Updated: 10:04 EST, 11 November 2026 Britain and her allies should make Russia ‘feel threatened’ as part of their strategy to thwart the Kremlin, a former national security adviser has urged.Lord Sedwill, who also served as Cabinet Secretary, warned that a strictly defensive approach was not enough to deter an adversary such as Vladimir Putin.Rather the UK, working alongside its Nato partners, should make the Russian President realise that his disruptive and illegal actions have consequences.Lord Sedwill’s intervention comes as the UK is involved in so-called ‘hybrid warfare’ against adversaries such as Russia and Iran.Russia is also preparing for conflict with Nato by reinforcing command posts along its border with member states, building walls of sandbags and erecting netting designed to prevent attacks by drones. Former National Security Advisor Lord Sedwill warned a strictly defensive strategy would not be enough for Britain and her NATO allies to deter Russian President Vladimir Putin from probing the West's defences. While British soldiers are preparing for arctic warfare, so too are the Russians. The Atlantic Future Forum heard today how Kremlin forces are reinforcing command posts along their frontline in the High North, building sandbag walls and erecting netting to prevent attacks by drones.Addressing the Atlantic Future Forum conference aboard HMS Prince of Wales, which has docked in Oslo, Lord Sedwill said: ‘Sometimes the most effective form of defence is to cause a dilemma, it is to go on the offensive.‘How can we present Russia with a set of strategic dilemmas, how can we make them feel they are under threat? [Because] we are already facing daily hybrid warfare, whether that is cyber-attacks, bomb threats, assassination or dirty money in our politics.‘Can we put some pressure on the Russians? Because deterrence requires not just effective defence. It requires there to be some jeopardy for our adversaries in continuing to probe us.’Lord Sedwill told senior military officers gathered aboard the aircraft carrier that they were already engaged in conflict with Russia and other adversaries, such as Iran.The crossbench peer revealed how Iranian cyber operatives were seeking to undermine political cohesion in the UK. By way of example he cited how those bots were bombarding social media platforms with messages supporting Scottish independence.Lord Sedwill warned international generals and ministers against relying on conventional defensive strategies, despite Nato being a defensive alliance.Allies must not ‘concede the initiative’ to the Kremlin, rather to impose a sense of ‘jeopardy’ that makes President Putin think twice, he explained.Lord Sedwill said: ‘That is something I really want to emphasise. This is not just about defence. We are on the frontline. Whether we are talking about land, sea and air.‘It is also true if we are talking about the hybrid space, cyberspace and the information space. Deterrent requires not just effective defence. It requires there to be some jeopardy.‘Russia is increasing its presence and activity on NATO’s northern flank, seeking to exploit the geography, to threaten our collective defences and to sow instability.’A senior Norwegian naval officer responsible for security in the country’s high north told how Russia was making preparations for a land conflict with Nato.Vice Admiral Rune Andersen told the Atlantic Future Forum: ‘Russia’s threat perception has increased also. We have seen preparations such as sandbags and anti-drone netting’.While Norwegian intelligence chief Kristin Ven Bruusgaard said increased threat perception by both sides made conflict more likely.She said: ‘There is a high risk of misunderstandings. We don’t comprehend where the red lines are for the other. So the dynamic [between NATO and Russia] could shift quite rapidly.’