Vladimir Putin’s latest escalation has hit far too close to home

Russian hackers have disrupted services in the NHS, causing the postponement of over 1,100 operations, cancellation of outpatient appointments and theft of patient records. The attackers, calling themselves Qilin and operating from Russia, demanded a £40m ransom. The assault is seen as part of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s plot to create chaos in the west and undermine support for Ukraine. The author suggests retaliation against military targets and ramping up weapon supplies to Ukraine as potential responses.