The UK government is quietly bracing for the unthinkable: a direct attack by Russia. According to The Telegraph, British officials have been instructed to overhaul decades-old emergency protocols and develop a new national defense strategy to counter threats ranging from cyberattacks to full-scale nuclear war.
Classified documents detail multiple crisis scenarios, including missile strikes and nuclear escalation. One of the more dramatic measures would see the UK provisionally split into 12 emergency zones, each managed by ministers, military commanders, and judges to coordinate the national response.
Protecting critical infrastructure is a top priority: gas terminals, nuclear power plants, undersea internet cables, and transportation hubs are all seen as vulnerable targets. In worst-case scenarios, the government would be relocated to underground bunkers.
The comprehensive protection plan also includes stockpiling food, restricting communications access, and even evacuating national art treasures to Scotland. The BBC has reportedly been tasked with broadcasting survival instructions should disaster strike.
Meanwhile, UK defense officials are exploring the development of a modern missile shield and discussing a rise in defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027.
The preparations reflect a growing sense of anxiety in the West. A recent poll published by The Guardian reveals that a significant portion of Europeans and Americans believe a third world war is looming. Between 41% and 55% of respondents in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain say such a war is “very” or “fairly” likely within the next decade, a view shared by 45% of Americans.
The majority, 68% to 76%, expect nuclear weapons would be used in such a conflict, and up to 73% believe the death toll could surpass that of World War II. Up to 44% fear such a war could wipe out most of humanity.
