United Kingdom prime minister says Putin aims to 'weaponize' information

She made it clear why the country would not succeed in its reported endeavour, because it "underestimated the resilience" of democracy, as well as that of free and open societies.

In a lengthy charge-sheet of actions that she said risked provoking "dangerous and unpredictable" conflicts, Mrs May accused Russian Federation directly of meddling in elections.

She also took aim at Putin for annexing Crimea, fomenting conflict in eastern Ukraine, violating the airspace of European countries, and for alleged cyber-espionage that has included meddling in elections and hacking the Danish Ministry of Defense.

"Because we know that a strong and prosperous Russian Federation which plays by the rules would be in the interests of the United Kingdom, Europe and the world".

"Russia can, and I hope one day will, choose this different path", she said.

United States intelligence services claim Russian Federation interfered in last year's U.S. presidential election, namely through posts and advertising on social media, it emerged in recent USA congressional hearings.

May said the government is working to reform North Atlantic Treaty Organisation so it is better placed to counter Russian hostility and has stepped up military and economic support to Ukraine. It is why we have stepped up our military and economic support to Ukraine.

"Many of us here looked at a post-Soviet Russia with hope".

She cited Russian President Vladimir Putin's recent comment that "when a state fails to observe universal rules of conduct and pursues its interests at any cost, it will provoke resistance and disputes will become unpredictable and risky".

"We do not want to return to the Cold War, or to be in a state of perpetual confrontation", she said.

Global order faces other threats from regions where "the absence of strong states" has created instability and conflict, such as the Middle East.

"Of course we must never be paralysed by the myth that armed intervention is doomed to fail", she said.

"As a permanent member of the UN Security Council, Russia has the reach and the responsibility to play a vital role in promoting worldwide stability".