MOSCOW, January 26. /TASS/. UK Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson who argued that Russia could cripple UK infrastructure reads too much science fiction, First Deputy Chairman of the Russian Federation Council (upper house) Defense and Security Committee Franz Klintsevich told reporters on Friday.
"Utter nonsense. Looks like UK Defense Secretary Gavin Williamson said that under the influence of having just read Herbert Wells’ novel The War of the Worlds, which describes the invasion of Martians into England. It’s a carbon copy, the only thing that is missing are the heat rays used by the aliens to destroy everything around them. It has been rightly stated that one should get acquainted with such books in his or her childhood," Klintsevich said.
Williamson earlier alleged that Russia was devising plans to "rip its [Britain’s] infrastructure apart, actually cause thousands and thousands and thousands of deaths, …creating total chaos within the country."
The Daily Telegraph pointed out that Williamson, who is mentioned as a possible future Tory leadership contender, made these remarks at the beginning of a new five-month-long defense review. The paper recalled that the Ministry of Defense would attempt to use this review to secure additional funding and prevent any Armed Forces personnel cuts.
On January 22, Chief of the General Staff of the British Army General Nicholas Carter said in a speech in London that Russia "represents the most complex and capable state-based threat to our country since the end of the Cold War." The Russian Embassy in the UK responded by saying that the true purpose of such moves is to justify a bigger defense budget.