UK Launches Russia Inquiry, Describes Russia as Most ‘Acute’ Threat

The UK Foreign Affairs Committee has launched an inquiry into Russia after its National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence Review identified Russia as the most “acute” threat to the UK.

The move follows a recognition that the UK’s unwavering support for Ukraine has increased the threat level that Russia poses to the UK and the need for a clear and long-term strategic response.

The new inquiry will examine Russia’s international alliances and strategic partnerships, Russia’s foreign policy and the UK’s approach to it, as well as the conditions required for a ceasefire or negotiated settlement in Ukraine and what that means for Kyiv, for Moscow, and for European security more widely.

After announcing the details on Wednesday, a UK Parliamentary Committee press release stated that the inquiry will be broad-ranging and will also examine the internal dynamics of Russian governance, the sustainability of Russia’s economic model, and the state of civil society, human rights, and media freedoms within Russia.

Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Dame Emily Thornberry MP, described how Russia represents a major foreign policy challenge for the UK and its allies, with the West subjected to continuous aggression from Russia as it attempts to undermine the liberal international order.

“In the last few years alone, Russia has launched attacks on UK soil,” Thornberry said.

“Drones have been flown across secure military bases. There have been assassination attempts and attacks against British nationals and Russian dissidents on the streets of Britain. There have been countless Russian-sponsored cyber-attacks against the British state and against private companies. Russian disinformation is running rampant across social media. Even in this era of heightened tension and conflict and fraught geopolitics, Russia poses by far the most acute and direct threat to the UK,” Thornberry added.

The Foreign Affairs Committee’s role is to scrutinize the work of the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to ensure its work is on the best trajectory. Acknowledging that tensions with Russia are likely to persist for the foreseeable future, the new inquiry aims to inform a sustainable strategy on Russia that seeks to combine robust deterrence with a clear understanding of Russia’s ambitions, capabilities, and influence.

“An end to Russia’s war against Ukraine is unlikely to mean an end to Russian hostility, and may bring domestic instability to Russia. Our inquiry will try to understand what a resolution to the war in Ukraine may look like, and what impact this may have on Ukraine, the UK, and Europe,” Thornberry stated.

Underpinning the inquiry, the UK’s 2025 Strategic Defence Review identified Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine as “an immediate and pressing threat” to the country, in particular “its willingness to use force to achieve its goals, as well as its intent to re-establish spheres of influence in its near-abroad and disrupt the international order to the UK and its allies’ disadvantage.” The Review identified the key areas of space, cyberspace, information operations, undersea warfare, and chemical and biological weapons as the most pressing threat areas.

Meanwhile, The UK’s National Security Strategy described how Russian aggression “menaces our continent,” referring to cyber attacks and acts of sabotage by Russia against the UK and other NATO allies, as well as the increased use of nuclear rhetoric “in an attempt to constrain our decision making.”