Russia’s military buildup and Iran’s increasing attacks on dissidents abroad mean the country could soon find itself involved in a domestic war, the review says.
The warning echoes recent comments from Mark Rutte, the Nato secretary general, that without a major increase in defence spending, British people “better learn to speak Russian”. Keir Starmer, who is at the Nato summit in The Hague, has promised to meet Nato’s target of spending 5% of gross domestic product on defence by 2035.