UK advised to stockpile food as Russian Attack fears grow

I know a lot of people prefer to stick their fingers in their ears and sing la la la to this sort of advice, but we live in dangerous times, and it would only take a major cyber attack to plunge the country into chaos. No Internet transactions means no food, no petrol, no water, no power.

Without going OTT! I’m prepared, the only thing I haven’t yet got is a solar battery set up, which I’d like as a back up for power cuts anyway.

As much as I’d love to face down the Russians with powdered milk and a tin of beans, I can’t help feeling there’s a better solution. 🤔

* gas hob! (Though dear husband might think gas gob a better description of me!)

I have no issue with having emergency packs, torches and radios which wind up, plentiful supply of batteries, charged up spare power banks for phones, matches, candles, dried food, canned food, water.

We have most of these anyway.

We have an electric oven and gas gob, but if we have power cuts we have no means of cooking!

I wouldn't be storing food in a freezer if there was a war, electricity will be one of the first targets, dry food, flour, canned, preserves are much more useful

This is linked to a civil defence exercise being planned, a cynical person might say it's a distraction from the parlous state of the UK defence capability. We know from other disasters and conflicts one of the first failures is likely to be the phone and communication network

greyfur

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Oh, well. Cheaper than paying for national defence, I suppose.

We are a tiny little island, not a world player.
Where would you like the funding to come from?

We are a small island, not tiny.
I’m assuming you have no knowledge of the intelligence sharing group known as 5 eyes. That would be just 5 countries worldwide.
Note that not one European country is a member.
You are not small and insignificant to belong to this group.

policyexchange.org.uk/events/the-importance-of-the-five-eyes-in-an-era-of-global-insecurity/

Graphite

Important not to panic over this kind of thing.

Full Telegraph piece with paywall removed:

archive.ph/20260714175544/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/14/defence-russia-public-stockpile-food-russian-cyber-attacks/#selection-4125.0-4129.30

Extract:

Darren Jones, the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, announced on Tuesday that the Government would also wargame a “hybrid” attack on the UK by a foreign adversary next year.

The “national home defence exercise” will see hundreds of civil servants plan their response to a crisis from inside Whitehall.

...

^Sir Keir Starmer revealed last month that Western intelligence agencies believed an attack by Russia on a Nato country could come within four years.^

Let’s hope they organise it better than they did when COVID hit us.
I won’t hold my breath.

FriedGreenTomatoes2

Oh, well. Cheaper than paying for national defence, I suppose.

We are a tiny little island, not a world player.
Where would you like the funding to come from?

European countries regularly advise their populations about survival etc.

Those populations appears to manage in a grown up fashion without panicking.

That will make the preppers and survivalists happy

It will also push folks into panic buying who cannot afford to do so.

I think it is rather irresponsible to be honest.

Oh, well. Cheaper than paying for national defence, I suppose.

Important not to panic over this kind of thing.

Full Telegraph piece with paywall removed:

archive.ph/20260714175544/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2026/07/14/defence-russia-public-stockpile-food-russian-cyber-attacks/#selection-4125.0-4129.30

Extract:

Darren Jones, the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, announced on Tuesday that the Government would also wargame a “hybrid” attack on the UK by a foreign adversary next year.

The “national home defence exercise” will see hundreds of civil servants plan their response to a crisis from inside Whitehall.

...

Sir Keir Starmer revealed last month that Western intelligence agencies believed an attack by Russia on a Nato country could come within four years.

Crazy.
How to get everyone panic buying. No thanks.

MawsRosie

Well I have been teased often enough especially by DD1 that my freezer could withstand a nuclear winter so I might be saying “I told you so”.
Thinking about it I could probably live off my surplus fat too.

Me too!!

Our freezer and pantry are full to bursting most of the time!

Well I have been teased often enough especially by DD1 that my freezer could withstand a nuclear winter so I might be saying “I told you so”.
Thinking about it I could probably live off my surplus fat too.