These are the FOUR most dangerous nations to the UK amid nuclear and biological fears

The UK is facing escalating threats as the world plunges into a new era of "greater instability", prompting Prime Minister Keir Starmer to launch a fresh defence review in preparation for potential warfare.

The overhaul of the Armed Forces is designed to defend against an increasingly belligerent Russia, while China has long-term plans to double its nuclear warhead silos to 1,000 by 2030. The review also warns of emerging threats from Iran and North Korea, with all four nations strengthening their alliances as global hostility intensifies.

In addition to conventional missiles, the growing threats from these hostile states include biological weapons capable of spreading pathogens, which require robust defences.

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) specifically identifies Russia, Iran, China, and North Korea as hostile states, asserting that Putin's Moscow can rebuild its shattered military even if the conflict in Ukraine concludes. The report notes that when the three reviewers who compiled the SDR were asked to launch it nearly a year ago, the world was already in turmoil.

The SDR emphasises that the UK's covert Porton Down biological and chemical centre must be maintained as an "essential and urgent activity." It says bio-war is "redefining warfare" and cautions against hostile states "engineering biology" that could potentially cause "enormous harm in the shape of new pathogens and other weapons of mass destruction.", reports

The UK could be left dangerously exposed if NATO were to engage in conflict, facing a barrage of "missile attack from long-range drones, cruise and ballistic missiles targeting military infrastructure and critical national infrastructure."

The four adversarial nations are increasingly seen as a collective menace, with the SDR cautioning: "China and Russia have deepened their relationship and there will continue to be grounds for both strategic and opportunistic alignment with Iran and the DPRK - North Korea."

A source with insider knowledge of the review confided to the Daily Mirror: "Nobody wants to go to war with China of course. But we are very aware of China's emerging place in the world and you can safely make assumptions about how China's military technology will change in the future."

The informant emphasised that Britain's potential war threats are largely out of its hands, noting: "You also have to remember that the benchmark for clock, what will happen in the future and controlling that timing is owned by other people and not us."

These nations pose a direct challenge to UK and worldwide peace....

Revanchist Russia

Vladimir Putin, the Russian President, has openly expressed his ambition to reclaim the territories of former Moscow-dominated empires, regardless of the consequences. Europe was plunged into its first significant conflict since World War II when Putin commanded his forces to invade Ukraine, a resource-rich country significantly smaller than Russia.

The Strategic Defence Review (SDR) has reported that nearly a year ago, when the three reviewers embarked on compiling the report, the world was "already in turmoil" due to events like Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It revealed: "Russia, a nuclear-armed state had invaded and brutally occupied part of a neighbouring sovereign state.

"And in doing this it was supported by China, supplied with equipment from Iran and by troops from North Korea, deployed in Europe for the first time ever. The sheer unpredictability of these and other global events, combined with the velocity of change in every area, has created alarming new threats and vulnerabilities for our country- and dangerous complexity in the world."

Should there be a breakthrough resulting in a peace deal, it is likely that Russia will cling to control over the territories it occupies in eastern Ukraine, potentially reinforcing the Kremlin's resolve to regroup and assert dominance over former Soviet nations. Military experts are increasingly concerned about the Baltic states - Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia - which due to their modest size, could fall prey to Russian expansion, thereby offering the aggressor enhanced access to the sea and posing increased dangers to Nordic countries, Poland, and Germany.

Nevertheless, Britain stands as a bulwark against Russia's aspirations due to its role in NATO's defensive alliance. With the Kremlin branding the UK as a significant obstacle, evident from its state-controlled figures issuing threats of nuclear destruction on TV and conducting assassinations and assassination attempts on British soil.

The latest military report pulls no punches about Russia's trench warfare in Ukraine and issues a disturbing alert on China swiftly advancing space warfare technology that could imperil UK satellite systems. It starkly notes: "Russia's war economy if sustained will enable it to rebuild its land capabilities more quickly in the event of a ceasefire in Ukraine. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine makes unequivocally clear its willingness to use force to achieve its goals."

Boasting an estimated 1.32 million active military personnel, augmented to 3.57 million with reserve forces, Russia's formidable prowess is underscored by its 5,459 nuclear warheads.

Growing China

Amidst the ongoing Ukrainian conflict, Beijing's communist leadership is stealthily preparing for a potential Taiwan offensive. US Defense Secretary Hegseth recently alerted to an "imminent" threat to Taiwan at a pivotal Asia defence summit, sending shockwaves around the globe and harking back to when a similar US caveat preceded the Russian incursion into Ukraine.

Building upon the warnings, the SDR sheds light on China's intent: "China is increasingly leveraging its economic, technological and military capabilities.

"This includes: a vast increase in advanced platforms and weapons systems such as space warfare capabilities, an unprecedented diversification and growth of its conventional and nuclear missile forces with missiles that can reach the UK and Europe. "

China's President Xi Jinping harbours plans to forcibly merge Taiwan with the mainland, seeing the island as a renegade province that split off during China's "Century of Humiliation," when it lost imperial territories. Beijing covets not only the territory but Taiwan's cutting-edge microchip industry, crucial for burgeoning technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G, and data storage solutions.

The implications for Britain could be significant if China restricts access to these valuable components, escalating costs for UK defence and civilian endeavours. Furthermore, should China succeed in overpowering Taiwan, it could unsettle Southeast Asia, drawing nations into Beijing's orbit and hindering UK trade deals post-Brexit.

Adding to the concern is the Strategic Defence Review's (SDR) warning about China, noting an uptick in its nuclear arsenal: "More types and greater numbers of nuclear weapons than ever before with its arsenal expected to double to 1,000 nuclear warheads by 2030."

The Chinese military boasts approximately 2 million active personnel, swelling to 2.51 million with reserves counted, accompanied by 600 nuclear weapons in their current cache.Threat of Iran-Israel Conflict The repercussions of the October 7 terror attack in Israel have left the UK and other Western nations bracing for potential new conflicts in the Middle East.

Aggressive Iran

In response to the Hamas-led atrocity that claimed numerous Israeli lives, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has initiated a significant offensive on Gaza, reducing the Palestinian enclave to ruins. Capitalising on his military upper hand, Netanyahu has moved to dismantle both Hamas and the Iran-supported Lebanese group Hezbollah. With Hezbollah's support cut off, Syrian rebels were able to overthrow the Assad regime, which had ravaged the nation with a brutal civil war, thereby unseating one of Iran's key regional allies.

Netanyahu, emboldened by his battlefield successes, has intensified airstrikes on Gaza, drawing global criticism and sparking contentious accusations of "genocide" from critics. Moreover, he has turned his attention towards Iran. For years, Mr Netanyahu has warned that Iran represents an existential threat to Israel and has urged international partners to join in military efforts against Tehran. Any assault on Iran risks destabilising the region further, potentially triggering a migration crisis akin to that witnessed during the mid-2010s Syrian Civil War.

The latest report delivers a stark warning on Iran, asserting: "Iran will continue to conduct destabilising activities across the region, including sponsoring proxies such as Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis and Iranian aligned Iraqi militias. Its escalating nuclear programme presents a risk to international security..." It further states that not only Iran but also North Korea "are developing missile programmes with growing reach and they continue to pose a direct threat to the UK in cyberspace."

A glace at Israel's military might reveals an estimated 169,500 active personnel, bolstered by 465,000 reservists and potentially commanding between 90 to 300 nuclear warheads.

In comparison, Iran's military comprises an estimated tally of 610,000 active troops, supported by 350,000 reserve fighters and a significant force of 220,000 paramilitary units.

'Rocketman''s North Korea

Turning to North Korea, this nation has consistently positioned itself as a significant destabilising power, from orchestrating numerous cyber assaults to deploying special forces on European territories to aid an adversary of the UK.

Last year, the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) issued a substantial alert implicating North Korean-backed cyber hackers in attempts to pilfer British nuclear secrets. Paul Chichester, NCSC director of operations, previously stated:

"The global cyber espionage operation that we have exposed today shows the lengths that DPRK state-sponsored actors are willing to go to pursue their military and nuclear programmes. It should remind critical infrastructure operators of the importance of protecting the sensitive information and intellectual property they hold on their systems to prevent theft and misuse.

"The NCSC, alongside our US and Korean partners, strongly encourage network defenders to follow the guidance set out in this advisory to ensure they have strong protections in place to prevent this malicious activity."

As the UK's Ministry of Defence revealed plans to modernise, North Korea boasts an estimated 1.3 active personnel, up to 600,000 reservists and around 90 nuclear warheads.