Russia's Hybrid War Against British Special Forces

How lawfare and financial warfare are targeting the UK's elite military units

The United Kingdom's Special Forces (UKSF) face an unprecedented challenge from Russia's sophisticated hybrid warfare campaign, says Dr Robert Parr in the Country Squire Magazine.

A multi-pronged attack combines traditional espionage with legal warfare ("lawfare") and financial manipulation through complex money-laundering networks.

Moscow's strategy, formalised in the "Gerasimov Doctrine", deploys specialised units like the newly-established Department of Special Tasks (SSD) to target Western military capabilities. Recent evidence, including the discovery of a Bulgarian spy ring operating in Britain, demonstrates the scale of this threat.

The campaign against UKSF operates on three fronts:

• Legal warfare through politically-motivated prosecutions

• Active espionage networks within the UK

• Financial warfare, particularly exploiting Irish banking networks

While UKSF continues to defend British interests globally, they require urgent government intervention. This includes new protective legislation, exposure of Russian-backed legal campaigns, and stronger financial regulations to combat money laundering networks.

Our elite units, operating in the shadows to protect British security, now need Britain to defend them in the open.