Putin 'considers attack on Britain' - but it won't be an 'outright military strike'

Britain's defence chief has warned Russia is "shamelessly" targeting civilians and is likely to intensify attacks on Ukraine as winter approaches, as fears grow that Moscow will increasingly use criminal gangs and disposable proxies to strike targets in Britain without leaving an obvious Kremlin fingerprint. 00:00 Former British Army intelligence officer Colonel Philip Ingram explains how Putin's regime is already carrying out attacks on Britain 'daily'. 05:45 Is Britain ready to defend itself? 20,000 applicants for the army were rejected last year. Military analyst Major Andrew Fox explains why. Speaking exclusively to LBC while on a trip to Kyiv, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, the Chief of the Defence Staff, said the threat posed by Russian ballistic missiles and drones remains one of Ukraine's greatest concerns, particularly as colder weather approaches. "Ukraine and President Zelensky are really clear that it's the threat from ballistic missiles and drones that really worry Ukraine," Sir Richard told LBC. "And as we get to winter, where they rely more heavily on electricity supplies and heating supplies, we've seen how Russia has been really shamelessly targeting civilian infrastructure to try and increase the pain on society." His warning comes amid growing concern in Britain that Russia's campaign against the West is increasingly being fought away from the conventional battlefield, using proxies, criminals and recruits found online to conduct sabotage and other attacks while giving Moscow a degree of plausible deniability. The threat was laid bare this week when former Russian deputy foreign minister Andrei Fedorov suggested British factories involved in producing drones for Ukraine could be attacked by "unknown sources". Mr Fedorov said he could not "100% exclude" what he described as "semi-military" action against Britain, warning there could eventually be a "visible reaction from Russia towards the UK". Asked what that could mean, he suggested cyber attacks could come from an "unknown source" before going further. "For example, something might happen with enterprises, with the factories which are producing drones for Ukraine," he said.