Russia is ready to carry out cyber-attacks on UK energy infrastructure in a bid to weaken support for Ukraine, a senior minister will warn today.
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden, whose role includes responsibility for national security, is set to tell a Nato meeting that the Kremlin could target British businesses and leave millions without power.
In a speech to the Nato Cyber Defence Conference at Lancaster House in London, the cabinet minister will warn "cyber war can be destabilising and debilitating" and describe the Kremlin as "exceptionally aggressive and reckless" in this area.
McFadden will focus on the threat of Russia's capacity to shut down power grids and "turn the lights off for millions of people", as well as its willingness to target British businesses "in pursuit of its malign goals".
"Given the scale of that hostility, my message to members today is clear: no-one should underestimate the Russian cyber threat to Nato. The threat is real," he will tell the gathered Nato allies.
In the UK in recent weeks, a series of recent cyber-attacks have been carried out on several councils - some of which have been claimed by a pro-Russian hacking group. Among those councils reportedly targeted are in areas including Middleborough, Salford, Portsmouth and Tees.