Welcome to the World in Ten.
In an increasingly uncertain world, this is The Times's daily podcast dedicated to global security.
I'm Tom Noonan, today joined by Toby Gillis.
Is Russia planning an attack on NATO members?
The head of the Kremlin's spy agency has certainly hinted at it,
claiming they are preparing to take pre-emptive measures as France,
Germany and Britain have been, and this is a quote, increasing the level of escalation around the Ukrainian conflict.
Specifically, he says, around the Russia-Belarus border.
Now Sergei Naryshkin has offered no evidence for that claim.
Our guest today is Philip Ingram, a former NATO planner, British military intelligence officer,
and now the new regular host of Frontline,
the Times Radio interview series on Ukraine, which The World in Ten is partnered with.
Philip, do you think that it's likely that NATO members are increasing activity near the border with Russia and Belarus?
Yes, of course there's an increased activity, as we're seeing the negotiations for this coalition of the willing,
and there's an awful lot more military activity happening on the NATO borders with Russia,
with Belarus and elsewhere, as the threat from Russia increases.
But it's not being done in an offensive or a preparation for offensive way, it is purely defensive.
And we also have to remember that some of the Russian drone attacks that there have been in Ukraine,
the drones are straight across NATO's borders,
so there will be an increasing air defence bubble that's there,