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Syria bombings: Boris Johnson warns UK must prepare for Russian retaliation Syria bombings: Boris Johnson warns UK must prepare for Russian retaliation
(35 minutes later)
Boris Johnson has said the UK must take "every possible precaution" to protect itself from Russian retaliation following the coalition air strikes on Syria. Boris Johnson has warned that the UK must take “every possible precaution” to protect itself from Russian retaliation following the coalition air strikes on Syria.
More follows… The Foreign Secretary said Moscow had a track record of launching cyber attacks on infrastructure and interfering in the democratic processes of other countries.
His comments come amid concern that Russia may start a clandestine campaign of retribution, following strikes carried out bu the US, UK and France on targets on of the Moscow-backed Syrian regime.
Mr Johnson also revealed that contact between himself and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov had gone cold amid the military operation, which saw Western coalition partners fire more than 100 missiles at facilities around Damascus.
The Cabinet minister said that the operation was not going to make a material difference to the Syrian civil war and he could not say it would definitely stop the Assad regime from using chemical weapons again, but he argued the strikes had sent a strong message that their use would not be tolerated.
Mr Johnson spoke to BBC’s Andrew Marr show on a morning in which reports suggested British intelligence chiefs feared Russia could retaliate with a “dirty war”, using cyber attacks and even seeking to smear figures in the British political establishment.
Asked about the possibility of “revenge attacks” that could target electrical or NHS systems, he said: ”You have to take every possible precaution, and when you look at what Russia has done, not just in this country, in Salisbury, attacks on TV stations, on the democratic processes, on critical national infrastructure – of course we have to be very, very cautious indeed.
“But I want to stress, we in the UK do not seek an escalation, absolutely not.”
News stories on Sunday suggested that since the Salisbury chemical weapons incident, which left ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter poisoned by a novichok nerve agent, Theresa May had received intelligence that the Russian government could hit members of the UK establishment with “kompromat”.
Intelligence officers at GCHQ and the Ministry of Defence are said to be on stand-by to retaliate to any cyber warfare “proportionately”.
Asked about contact with his Russian opposite number Mr Lavrov, Mr Johnson responded that contact with the Russians had “not been good”, but explained that it had continued at a military level to ensure “deconfliction”, the clashing of coalition and Russian forces, and at the UN.
He said the UK and its allies had limited its action, because it did not seek an escalation in the war or with Russia, but he said: “I went to Moscow in December and we held out the hand of engagement. We want to engage with Russia.
“But I’m afraid the Russians give us every possible signal and evidence that we also have to beware.”
The UK’s role involved four Tornado fighters launching Storm Shadow missiles at a military facility some 15 miles west of Homs.
Intelligence assessments suggested the Assad regime was keeping chemical weapons at the site, which Ms May said was a breach of Syria’s obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention.
The US part of the operation used twice as much weaponry as the attack Washington launched unilaterally last year, with missiles and planes involved hitting research sites.
France also targeted alleged chemical weapons facilities, after President Emmanuel Macron said the country had proof the Assad regime was involved in Douma - an incident which Ms May has said she left more than 70 people dead and hundreds needing medical attention.
More to follow...