Image copyright EPA Image caption Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied allegations Russia was behind the Salisbury spy poisoning

Russia is now a "far greater threat" to the UK's national security than the Islamic State group, the head of the British army has said.

In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, General Mark Carleton-Smith said Britain "cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses".

"The Russians seek to exploit vulnerability and weakness wherever they detect it," he said.

The UK blames Russia for the Salisbury poisoning and several cyber-attacks.

In March, former Russian spy Sergei Skripal - who sold secrets to MI6 - and his daughter Yulia survived being poisoned with Novichok.

Dawn Sturgess, 44, was later exposed to the same nerve agent and died in hospital.

Gen Carleton-Smith's comments follow similar remarks made earlier this year by the UK Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson.

In October, the UK government also accused Russia's GRU military intelligence service of being behind four high-profile cyber-attacks on targets including the US Democratic Party and a small TV network in Britain.

Russia denies any involvement in the Skripal poisoning and has described cyber-attack accusations as a "rich fantasy".

Image copyright EPA/ Yulia Skripal/Facebook Image caption Mr Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33, were found unconscious

In his first interview since being appointed Chief of the General Staff in June, Gen Carleton-Smith said Russia is "indisputably" a bigger threat than Islamic terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and IS.

"Russia has embarked on a systematic effort to explore and exploit Western vulnerabilities, particularly in some of the non-traditional areas of cyber, space, undersea warfare," he said.

"We cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses or leave it uncontested."

The Russian Embassy responded by poking fun at his comments.

The 54-year-old former SAS commander graduated from Sandhurst military academy in the final years of the Cold War.

He led the search for Osama bin Laden following the 9/11 terror attacks and was at the forefront of Britain's role in the campaign to combat IS in Iraq and Syria.

Image copyright Crown Copyright 2016 Image caption Gen Carleton-Smith said the physical manifestation of the Islamist threat has diminished

Russia has previously been condemned by world leaders over its annexation of Crimea and role in the conflict in Ukraine.

Moscow has also been accused of meddling in the 2016 US presidential election - which President Vladimir Putin and other top Russian officials have repeatedly denied.

Image copyright Metropolitan Police Image caption CCTV shows two suspects in the Salisbury poisoning, who the UK believes are from Russia's military intelligence service, the GRU

Mr Putin also rejects the UK's allegations that the two suspects in the Skripal poisoning were GRU operatives.

Russia has accused the British authorities of Russophobia, misleading the international community and UK citizens and of "disgusting anti-Russian hysteria".

Read more:</s>General Mark Carleton-Smith, the head of the British army, has said that Russia was now a “far greater threat” to the UK’s national security than the Islamic State (IS) terror group, the media reported on Saturday. In his first interview since being appointed Chief of the General Staff in June, Gen Carleton-Smith said Russia was “indisputably” a bigger threat than Islamic terrorist groups like Al Qaeda and IS, the BBC reported.

“Russia has embarked on a systematic effort to explore and exploit Western vulnerabilities, particularly in some of the non-traditional areas of cyber, space, undersea warfare,” he said. “We cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses or leave it uncontested.”

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The 54-year-old former SAS commander led the search for slain Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden following the September 11, 2001, terror attacks and was at the forefront of Britain’s role in the campaign to combat the IS in Iraq and Syria. The UK has blamed Russia for the poisoning of a former Russian spy and his daughter in Salisbury earlier this year.

In October, the British government accused Russia’s GRU military intelligence service of being behind four high-profile cyber-attacks on targets including the US Democratic Party and a small TV network in Britain. Russia denies any involvement in the spy poisoning and has described the cyber-attack accusations as a “rich fantasy”.</s>Russia is a "far greater threat" to Britain's national security than Islamic terrorist groups such as the Islamic State (IS), the new head of the British Army has warned.

In an interview with The Daily Telegraph published on November 23, General Mark Carleton-Smith said Britain and its allies "cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses."

He made the comments at a time of heightened tensions between the West and Russia over issues including Moscow's aggression in Ukraine, its alleged election meddling in the United States and Europe, massive international cyberattacks, and the poisoning of a Russian double agent and his daughter in Britain.

"Russia today indisputably represents a far greater threat to our national security than Islamic extremist threats" such as Al-Qaeda and IS, Carleton-Smith said in his first interview since becoming chief of Britain's General Staff in June.

The 54-year-old former SAS commander said Moscow had "embarked on a systematic effort to explore and exploit Western vulnerabilities, particularly in some of the nontraditional areas of cyber-, space, undersea warfare."

With the threat from Islamist groups in the Middle East now reduced, the focus needs to shift to Russia, the British general also said, warning, "We cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses or leave it uncontested."

In October, U.K. Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson accused Russia of acting like a "pariah state," whose "reckless and indiscriminate" attacks had left it isolated in the international community.

The Russian Foreign Ministry described the accusations as "fantasy."

Britain and most of the West has blamed Russia for a nerve-agent attack on Russian former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in the English city of Salisbury in March. Moscow denies any involvement.

The Skripals survived the poisoning, which used a Soviet-made military nerve agent known as Novichok.

Two other British citizens were exposed to the nerve agent in June, apparently by accident; one of them, Dawn Sturgess, died.

With reporting by the Daily Telegraph, the BBC, and Press Association</s>Britain’s new chief of the General Staff says Moscow is now a greater threat than ISIS.

The new Army chief Gen. Mark Carleton-Smith warns that Russia is now “indisputably” a greater threat to the security of Britain and her allies than Islamist extremist groups such as al-Qaeda and the Islamic State

His comments come as ISIS is on the retreat in the Middle East and the mantra of ‘evil Russia’ is making a comeback in the hearts and minds of British strategists.

RT reports: Apart from posing a conventional military threat, he also believes that Moscow is seeking to exploit Western vulnerabilities in cyberspace and in space.

Moscow has demonstrated that it is “prepared to use military force to secure and expand its own national interests,” he told the Telegraph. Head-chopping Islamists apparently pale in comparison.

Carleton-Smith was speaking after visiting UK soldiers deployed to the Baltic country of Estonia, where ‘Russia scare’proponents have also been known to raise a few eyebrows. The general provided some clues as to why the so-called “Russia threat” has risen back to the top. “The physical manifestation of the Islamist threat has diminished with the complete destruction of the geography of the so-called Caliphate,” he said, recommending that the London and its allies focus their attention on Russia.

Carleton-Smith, who led the 22nd SAS regiment during the Western-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, has outlined what a “conventional military response” to Moscow would be – “the capabilities and coherence of the NATO alliance.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov fired back on Saturday, saying:“That’s the worldview of a country that has spelt out its right to use force arbitrarily regardless of UN Security Council resolutions.”

In fact, some would argue that fanning fears over ‘evil Russia’ are instrumental in explaining or justifying increased defense spending. It wouldn’t be the first time the UK establishment has done so.</s>General Mark Carleton-Smith, the new Chief of General Staff for the British Army says that Russia poses a much bigger threat to the country’s security than Islamic extremist groups. And the Army boss has warned Britain not to the “complacent” about the threat.

General Carleton-Smith told the Telegraph: “Russia today indisputably represents a far greater threat to our national security than Islamic extremist threats such as Al Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS). “Russia has demonstrated that it is prepared to use military force to secure and expand its own national interests. The Russians seek to exploit vulnerability and weakness wherever they detect it. “Russia has embarked on a systematic effort to explore and exploit Western vulnerabilities, particularly in some of the non-traditional areas of cyber, space, undersea warfare. “We cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses or leave it uncontested.”

General Carleton-Smith said that with the destruction if ISIS territories in Iraq and Syria the threat to British security had evolved. He added: “The physical manifestation of the Islamist threat has diminished with the complete destruction of the geography of the so-called Caliphate."

Russia came under fire in March this year when former Russian spy, Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were exposed to the deadly chemical Novichok, which left them critically ill for weeks. The pair were found passed out on a bench in Salisbury after coming into contact with the chemical but despite allegations that the pair were targeted by Russia, Vladimir Putin said the idea that the Kremlin had anything to do with the attack was “nonsense”. Two suspects were named by police for attempting to assassinate Sergei and Yulia Skripal but escaped back to Russia before they could be found guilty.

The married father-of-two, who issued the warning about Russia, began his military career in 1982 with operational service in Northern Ireland and the first Gulf War before he serving with the SAS in Bosnia. He was awarded an MBE for his service in Kosovo before becoming an SAS Commanding Officer in 2002 and then commanded a brigade in Afghanistan and from 2012-2015 served as director special forces and deputy chief of the defence staff.</s>Russia ‘indisputably’ poses a far greater threat to national security than Islamic terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and Isis, the new head of the British Army has warned.

General Mark Carleton-Smith said the UK cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses ‘or leave it uncontested’.

The former SAS commander said Russia had made plain its preparedness to use force to expand its interests, while it had also been ‘systematic’ in its efforts to exploit cyber, space and undersea military arenas.

‘The Russians seek to exploit vulnerability and weakness wherever they detect it,’ he told the Daily Telegraph.

‘Russia today indisputably represents a far greater threat to our national security than Islamic extremist threats such as al-Qaeda and Isil (also known as Isis).’

Gen Carleton-Smith, who graduated from Sandhurst in the final years of the Cold War, took over as chief of the general staff in June.

He led the hunt for Osama bin Laden after the 9/11 terror attacks and later spearheaded Britain’s role in the campaign to defeat Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Now, with the threat from Islamist groups in the Middle East reduced by years of concerted international military action, the focus needs to shift to Russia, he said.

‘We cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses or leave it uncontested,’ Gen Carleton-Smith warned.

Russia has been the subject of international condemnation over its annexation of Crimea and continued involvement in conflict in Ukraine that also saw it blamed for the downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17.

The Kremlin has also been accused of aggression in cyber space, including meddling in the 2016 US election and attacks on a number of Western interests.

Its military intelligence unit, the GRU, is suspected of having a global reach and has been accused of being responsible for the nerve agent attack in Salisbury.

In October Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson accused Russia of acting like a ‘pariah state’.

Countering Russia’s suspected efforts to destabilise the established world order has led to debate over the role of Nato – including president Donald Trump’s threats over the US’ contribution – and suggestions of other means of international cooperation.

Earlier this month French president Emmanuel Macron called for the creation of a ‘true European army’ to make up for any loss of support from Washington.

Gen Carleton-Smith said he would not support any initiative that ‘diluted’ the military effectiveness of Nato.

He said the alliance represents the ‘centre of gravity of European security’ and insisted it has been ‘extraordinarily successful’.

‘In my experience, we should reinforce success,’ he said.</s>Russia is now “indisputably” a greater threat to the security of Britain and her allies than Islamist extremist groups such as al-Qaeda and Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil), the new Army chief has warned.

Apart from posing a conventional military threat, the Russians are constantly seeking to undermine the West by developing new war-fighting capabilities in non-conventional areas such as cyber and space.

Speaking in his first interview since his appointment as the Chief of the General Staff, Gen Mark Carleton-Smith, 54, said it was vital that Britain and its allies were not complacent about the threat Russia posed.

“Russia today indisputably represents a far greater threat to our national...</s>"Russia today indisputably represents a far greater threat to our national security than Islamic extremist threats such as al-Qaeda and Isil[Daesh]," Carleton-Smith said in an interview with The Telegraph newspaper released late on Friday.

"Russia has embarked on a systematic effort to explore and exploit Western vulnerabilities, particularly in some of the non-traditional areas of cyber, space, undersea warfare… We cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses or leave it uncontested. The most important conventional military response to Russia is the continued capabilities and coherence of the NATO alliance," Carleton-Smith argued.

Russia has repeatedly said it did not plan to attack any NATO member. Moscow has suggested that the alleged Russian aggression was used as a pretext by the military alliance to boost its military build-up near the Russian border.</s>Russia is a "far greater threat" to Britain's national security than Islamic terrorist groups such as the Islamic State (IS), the new head of the British Army has warned.In an interview with The Daily Telegraph published on November 23, General Mark Carleton-Smith said Britain and its allies "cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses."The Russian Embassy in London responded to the comments with a tweet on November 24, saying "Army chief doesn't care about [IS]? Great global strategic vision!"Carleton-Smith made the comments at a time of heightened tensions between the West and Russia over issues including Moscow's aggression in Ukraine, its alleged election meddling in the United States and Europe, massive international cyberattacks, and the poisoning of a Russian double agent and his daughter in Britain."Russia today indisputably represents a far greater threat to our national security than Islamic extremist threats" such as Al-Qaeda and IS, Carleton-Smith said in his first interview since becoming chief of Britain's General Staff in June.The 54-year-old former SAS commander said Moscow had "embarked on a systematic effort to explore and exploit Western vulnerabilities, particularly in some of the nontraditional areas of cyber-, space, undersea warfare."With the threat from Islamist groups in the Middle East now reduced,, the British general also said, warning, "We cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses or leave it uncontested."During a visit to Lisbon, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov also poked fun at the remarks, saying, "We cannot influence the British government's decisions as to whom they trust to head its armed forces," according to the Interfax news agency."I hope they check the appropriateness of such decisions," Lavrov added.In October, U.K. Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson accused Russia of acting like a " pariah state ," whose "reckless and indiscriminate" attacks had left it isolated in the international community.The Russian Foreign Ministry described the accusations as "fantasy."Britain and most of the West has blamed Russia for a nerve-agent attack on Russian former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter, Yulia, in the English city of Salisbury in March. Moscow denies any involvement.The Skripals survived the poisoning, which used a Soviet-made military nerve agent known as Novichok.Two other British citizens were exposed to the nerve agent in June, apparently by accident; one of them, Dawn Sturgess, died.</s>Russia “indisputably” now poses a bigger threat to Britain’s security than terrorist groups like Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda, the head of the British army said in an interview published Saturday.

General Mark Carleton-Smith warned Moscow had shown a willingness to use its military to pursue its national interests while seeking to “exploit Western vulnerabilities”.

“Russia today indisputably represents a far greater threat to our national security than Islamic extremist threats such as Al-Qaeda and (IS),” he told The Daily Telegraph.

“Russia has embarked on a systematic effort to explore and exploit Western vulnerabilities, particularly in some of the non-traditional areas of cyber, space, undersea warfare.” Relations between Russia and Britain have sunk to historic lows this year.

London has blamed the country’s military intelligence service for orchestrating the poisoning with a nerve agent of ex-Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in the English city of Salisbury in March.

The incident prompted a wave of tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions between Moscow and the West, as well as a ratcheting up of US sanctions.

Carleton-Smith, 54, said following IS battlefield loses in Syria and Iraq, the Western alliance must switch focus to the threat posed by Russia -- and do so through NATO.

“The physical manifestation of the Islamist threat has diminished with the complete destruction of the geography of the so-called Caliphate,” he said.

“We cannot be complacent about the threat Russia poses or leave it uncontested.

“The most important conventional military response to Russia is the continued capabilities and coherence of the NATO alliance.” The former special forces commander was speaking in his first interview since becoming Britain’s chief of the general staff in June.

He made the comments after visiting British troops deployed in Estonia as part of a NATO battle group intended to deter aggression from neighbouring Russia.

Carleton-Smith also took the opportunity to downplay the need for a separate European army, as recently encouraged by French President Emmanuel Macron.

“I would not support any initiative that diluted the military effectiveness of NATO,” he said.

“It has been an extraordinarily successful alliance and, in my experience, we should reinforce success.”
The British Army Chief of the General Staff, Mark Carleton-Smith, says Russia is a "far greater threat" to the United Kingdom's national security than the Islamic State.