- Category
- World
Britain Is Taking Too Long to Blame Russia for Sabotage, Labour MP Warns
Prefer U24 Media on Google
- Authors
![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Britain is taking too long to publicly attribute sabotage and arson to Russia, leaving businesses supporting Ukraine without timely warnings that they may themselves become targets, Labour MP Graeme Downie told UK Defence Journal on October 16.
Downie, author of The Putin Tax report, contrasted Britain with countries such as Estonia, which recently blamed Russia within days of an arson attack on a drone manufacturer.
We bring you stories from the ground. Your support keeps our team in the field.
“We’ve seen other NATO countries like Estonia blaming Russia and attributing blame within days without the need to publish all of the raw intelligence,” he said.
Downie argued that Britain effectively applies a criminal standard—“beyond reasonable doubt”—when deciding whether to attribute hostile-state activity, when a lower civil standard could allow the government to act faster.
“Rather than apply the criminal bar of beyond reasonable doubt, you probably apply a civil legal bar of overwhelming evidence, and on the balance of probabilities,” he said, adding that the current approach “delays it.”
-ca0b5e5b9bb227bd7a8d5066e6c36232.png)
That delay can have practical consequences for British companies supplying Ukraine. Downie said firms should not necessarily be afraid, but they need to understand that they could be targeted and receive better guidance on protecting themselves.
“I think it’s not they should be worried, but they should be aware,” he said. Publicly identifying attacks more quickly, he argued, would signal to companies supporting Ukraine “that they need to get protection.”
He also warned that Britain’s subsea energy and communications infrastructure faces a serious threat from hostile activity.
“The threat to subsea infrastructure is entirely real,” Downie said, warning that even short disruptions to internet cables or energy networks could inflict major economic damage.
His comments follow the March 2024 arson attack on a warehouse in Leyton linked to aid for Ukraine. Men were later convicted over the fire, which prosecutors said had been organized on behalf of Russia’s Wagner Group.
Earlier, reports emerged that British warships and helicopters spent significantly more time tracking Russian naval activity in July as Moscow maintained an elevated presence around UK waters and across the North Atlantic.
Royal Navy patrol ships and aircraft devoted 21 days to monitoring Russian vessels during the month, up 25% from July 2025, according to figures released by the British Navy.
Discuss this article:
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
-72b63a4e0c8c475ad81fe3eed3f63729.jpeg "Photo of Cyril Barabaltchouk")
