World War 3: Russia has declared WAR and Putin already WINNING – ‘UK must FIGHT back’
The Conservative MP was adamant Russia has already catapulted Western countries into a dangerous World War 3 scenario with alleged cyber attacks on the UK, the US and the Netherlands.
Mr Seely, who sits on the Foreign Affairs Committee and has been an outspoken critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s handling of the Salisbury poisoning, insisted the West is now «losing» the battle but could still regain ground if new security measures are adopted.
Speaking on the Today programme, the Isle of Wight MP said: «If you look up the definition of a Cold War, it’s a war fought by proxy, information and other means. In the dictionary definition, this is pretty much a perfect dictionary definition of a cold war.
«We have been losing but we are going to win in the long run because right is eventually might.» Russia has been accused of behaving like a “pariah state” after allegations the Kremlin tried to hack the UK Government and the international body that headed the Salisbury Novichok probe.
Dutch authorities made the shocking claim after they thwarted a Russian attack on the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague, having received assistance from the help of UK intelligence.
Mr Seely claimed the alleged attacks were an attempt from Russia to signal «they don’t like out values system»: «You could argue, more generally. it’s the failure of the Russian political state yet again to enter the modern era.
He urged the Government to pass new laws to stop foreign interference to UK domestic affairs through propaganda and for BBC World Service funds to be «dramatically» boosted in Russia: «We need a permanent service to expose subversive activities, we need a foreign agent representation act that if you work in this country as a political proxy you get named and shamed. We have been losing but we are going to win in the long run because right is eventually might Bob Seely «We need a counter propaganda bill, we need to properly fund the BBC World Service tv and radio and dramatically boost the BBC Russian service. We need to change our visa regime. We need to see this as a global struggle between open society and closed society.»
Mr Seely also said the UK and other Western states should lead a potential fight against Russia by example, respecting the laws of war to avoid civilian casualties.
He added: «If we started attacking their hospitals we would be in breach of the Geneva Convention. If you just lead cyber attacks and you hit civilian targets, it is illegal under the rules of war.
«This is about open society, it’s about truth and honesty and the good values we want to portray in our society and ourselves. Yes, we have to fight but we have to fight better and we have to show a better example to the world.»
Moscow blasted the hacking accusations as “another orchestrated act of propaganda” as part of an “anti-Russian campaign of spy mania”.
The US waded into the spat and claimed they have identified seven suspected Russian officers for «malicious cyber activities» against the US and its allies – including possible agents linked to the nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal and daughter Yulia in March.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned the building of tensions between two nuclear powers was a “dangerous path”.