Media: UK prepares for Russian strike with Cold War-era bunker plans

Britain is covertly preparing for the possibility of a direct military strike by Russia, amid concerns that the country is currently unprepared for war.

Officials have been instructed to revise 20-year-old contingency plans that would put the UK on a war footing in the event of a Kremlin-initiated attack.

A new classified dossier, compiled by the Cabinet Office’s Resilience Directorate, will outline government procedures following a declaration of war. This includes activating bunkers for the Prime Minister, Cabinet, and Royal Family, initiating public service broadcasts, and stockpiling essential resources.

The Telegraph reports that the revised “homeland defence plan” will detail the government's response in the immediate aftermath of a strike, whether by conventional missiles, nuclear warheads, or cyberattacks—threats that were less pressing during the last significant update before 2005.

Officials fear the UK would be both outgunned in battle and poorly defended domestically. Kremlin threats toward Britain, primarily due to its support for Ukraine, including the potential deployment of British troops, have intensified, prompting an urgent review.

Experts warn the UK remains vulnerable to attacks on critical infrastructure such as gas terminals, undersea cables, nuclear power stations, and transport hubs. A Whitehall risk assessment found that a successful strike could cause civilian deaths, emergency service casualties, severe economic disruption, and widespread damage to essential services.

The Government has already simulated scenarios involving simultaneous missile and cyberattacks. For the first time, the new contingency plan will comprehensively address cyber warfare, now considered one of the UK’s most dangerous threats. State-backed hackers could disable power, paralyse traffic networks, or shut down government departments.

MI5 Director Ken McCallum stated in October that state-related threat cases rose 48% in a year, with Russian cyber activity increasing sharply due to the war in Ukraine. Despite US President Donald Trump’s ongoing peace initiative, Moscow continues to threaten the UK. Last month, ministers formally designated Russia a national security threat.

Defence officials have urged the development of a UK version of Israel’s Iron Dome to counter missile attacks. A senior RAF figure recently warned that if the first night of the Ukraine war had occurred in the UK, Russian missiles would have penetrated defences and destroyed key infrastructure.

Russia, China, and Iran all claim to possess hypersonic missiles capable of evading modern defence systems by travelling up to 10 times the speed of sound. British officials are particularly worried about gas facilities and the country’s five active nuclear power stations. A government review found that a successful strike on these could result in radioactive contamination and cause long-term security, health, and environmental crises.

The planning is modeled after the Cold War-era War Book—a once-secret dossier that outlined wartime government procedures, including evacuations and national zoning under emergency authority. Under those guidelines, ministers, military leaders, police chiefs, and judges would govern 12 zones, food would be rationed, and BBC would issue missile shelter guidance. Queen Elizabeth II would have been evacuated to the royal yacht, while valuable artworks would be moved from London to Scotland.

The updated strategy coincides with the upcoming release of Labour’s Strategic Defence Review, which will assess the UK military’s preparedness after years of troop reductions. The review will examine homeland security options and potential enhancements to missile defences.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027, though final decisions on funding allocation remain unresolved. A government spokesperson stated: “The UK has robust plans in place for a range of potential emergencies that have been developed and tested over many years.”

By Tamilla Hasanova