Exclusive:Russia will ramp up 'grey zone' attacks on UK without greater deterrence - expert

Moscow said there would be “consequences” after reports that British drones have been used to strike targets on Russia’s mainland for the first time.

Russia will ramp up its attacks on Britain and other Nato allies via its intelligence services unless the UK rapidly increases its defence funding, a former Catterick colonel has said.

Philip Ingram MBE was making the comments after Moscow said there would be “consequences” after reports that British drones have been used to strike targets on Russia’s mainland for the first time.

Ukraine used drones made by two UK companies as part of a so-called deep strike campaign, the Sunday Times reported.

Kyiv has stepped up its attacks on Russia this year, with long-range missiles and swarms of drones increasingly targeting military industries and energy facilities.

Russia’s embassy to the UK said in a statement that the reports “confirm that London is deliberately opting for an escalation of the Ukraine crisis” and accused Britain of “seeking to contain Russia and inflict maximum damage on it by proxy”.

“London’s actions will inevitably carry consequences for which it will have to answer,” it added.

“The deeper its involvement in the conflict and the greater its support for Kyiv’s terrorist machinery, the higher the price it will pay.”

Responding yesterday, new Prime Minister Andy Burnham said: “This is the UK doing what it has long said it would do, which is to support Ukraine 100 per cent against this illegal war led by Vladimir Putin.

“We are providing support so that Ukraine can defend itself, and that’s been the British position all the way through this conflict by previous prime ministers. It remains the case with me.

“We are not fair-weather friends. We will be there in Ukraine’s hour of need, and that won’t change.”

Mr Ingram, who served in the army for more than 26 years and commanded troops at Catterick Garrison, told The Yorkshire Post: “It’s typical Russian rhetoric.

“What the Russians are doing is they are increasing the amount of activity they are carrying out in the ‘grey zone’.”

Mr Ingram said this is at a threshold below an armed conflict and actions that are easy for Moscow to deny.

He cited the recent explosive drone at a German airfield next to a Ukrainian aircraft and the targeting of undersea cables in the Baltic and off the UK coast.

The Royal Navy said it spent 21 days last month monitoring Russian ships off the coast.

This was a 25 per cent increase compared to the previous year, with warships making repeated voyages through the Dover Strait and North Sea.

Offshore patrol vessels HMS Tyne, HMS Mersey and HMS Severn were deployed throughout the month to shadow Russian frigates Neustrashimy and Admiral Grigorovich which are tasked with escorting so-called “shadow fleet” tankers.

“We need to step up and properly deter the Russians,” Mr Ingram said.

“They will increase their activity and that will start to drift into the more conventional side of warfare if we can’t counter it.

“The only way to do that is to increase our defence budget dramatically. We are effectively in a Cold War two scenario.

“In the first Cold War we were spending five and eight per cent of our GDP (gross domestic product) on defence. We need to get back to at least three to five per cent now.”