Britain’s head of the armed forces, Sir Richard Knighton, says threats to the UK are greater than at any time since the Cold War. His warning follows reports that Russian military aircraft are increasing their activity near the UK. According to the report, Russian jets have entered British airspace as many times in the first five months of 2026 as they did over the whole of 2025, indicating a rise in frequency of incursions.
The sources frame the comments as an assessment of the current security environment and the pace of Russian actions, with Knighton highlighting the scale of the change compared with the previous year. The reporting links his statements to the pattern of repeated airspace entries and describes this as part of a broader ramping up of threats associated with President Vladimir Putin.
The accounts do not provide additional details on specific incidents beyond the increase in airspace entries, nor do they describe any direct UK response. The focus remains on the comparative increase in Russian jet activity and Knighton’s assessment of threat levels.
