BRITAIN is not prepared for war and will pay a “high price” if Vladimir Putin attacks Europe, a top Ukrainian major has warned.
Viktor Andrusiv told The Sun that the UK must learn lessons from Ukraine before it is too late.
It comes after Nato chief Mark Rutte this week urged the West to prepare for war “like our grandparents endured”.
Ex-presidential adviser Andrusiv said: “The biggest problem is that people are not going to believe that this can happen.”
Sabre-rattling Putin this month declared Russia is prepared to go to war with Europe if peace talks in Ukraine fail.
It could see the tyrant unleash an attack on a Nato country – which would trigger defence from other member states, including the UK.
But defence chiefs this week warned Britain’s “hollowed out” Armed Forces are not ready for war with Russia.
Andrusiv, a Ukrainian major, agreed that the UK is ill-prepared, and urged Britain to bolster its “outdated” army.
He told The Sun: “I am sure you [the UK] are not prepared.
“It does not mean that you would lose for sure, but if you are not prepared, you will pay a higher price.”
Figures obtained by The Sun on Sunday have revealed that our government must invest billions more in defence if the UK is to have a chance in any future conflict.
The UK needs more soldiers, warships and combat aircraft if we ever have to help Nato defeat Putin.
Since the end of the Cold War, successive British governments have slashed defence spending in the belief there would never be another major European war.
Ex-defence secretary Penny Mordaunt previously told The Sun that Britain will pay with the blood of its own people if the UK’s security and defences are not properly funded.
Andrusiv – who has written new book How Ukrainians Lead – said the UK has buried its head in the sand – which could spell disaster if Vlad attacks.
He said: “People don’t believe this can actually happen.
“Actually, we had the same problem, in the 21st century thinking that columns of tanks invading your country is something crazy.
“It’s very hard to believe in that, and this is the problem.
“You should be aware of that. This is possible. Drones which attack your homes, missiles which attack your places – you should be aware that this can be reality.
“The key about preparation is people believe this can be reality.”
Andrusiv said the UK must modernise its armed forces – and be prepared to train every day civilians.
Before Putin invaded Ukraine almost four years ago, Andrusiv was the director of a think tank and adviser to the president’s office.
“If I had been asked whether I could become a major one day, that for me would sound a little bit fantastical,” he said.
“War is closer than we think. Deaths are closer than we think.
“So you [the UK] should be aware and should prepapre because the things the army knows about wars before this war are outdated.
“Western doctrines are based on the professional army, but as Putin shows and we show that such a kind of war will involve millions of civilians in the army.
Putin is ready to fight but UK is not
by Sean Rayment
BRITAIN’S “hollowed out” Armed Forces are not ready for war with Russia, defence chiefs have warned.
We need more soldiers, warships and combat aircraft if we ever have to help Nato defeat tyrant president Vladimir Putin.
The disclosure comes after the Russian leader declared he was prepared to go to war with Europe if peace talks in Ukraine failed.
This is despite the fact Russia has lost more than one million troops, either wounded or killed, during its invasion of Ukraine and the country’s economy is about to go into recession.
Military experts believe it might take up to five years for Russia to build up its armed forces before Putin could invade another country.
But figures obtained by The Sun on Sunday reveal that our government must invest billions more in defence if the UK is to have a chance in any future conflict.
Last week the Royal Navy revealed only 50 per cent of its fleet was at high readiness and was ready for operations.
Army troop numbers are at a historic low and the RAF has less than a third of the combat aircraft it had the last time Britain was preparing for a war with Russia.
Ex-British Nato chief Lord Robertson has declared: “We are under- prepared, we’re under insured, we’re under attack and we’re not safe.”
The UK spends £62.2billion — 2.3 per cent of GDP — on defence. That will rise in 2027, with plans to make it 3.5 per cent by 2035.
In 1989 when the Cold War was drawing to a close, the UK spent 4 per cent of GDP on defence — equivalent to £121.2billion in today’s money.
“You cannot command them as professional warriors, so you need to find other approaches to these people because normally in civilian life they are not so strict in discipline.
“So you should also change a lot of things because the war is changing every day. You should follow the innovation. You should follow the things which just changed every moment, like the drones.”
The nature of modern conflict is changing rapidly and drones are now playing a major role in Ukraine.
In the past two years, Ukraine has launched around seven million drones against Russian forces.
The UK has an arsenal of around 4,000, which, if used at the same rate as the Ukrainian forces, would last less than 24 hours.
Putin has irked the West for more than two-and-a-half decades now ever since he rose through the ranks in the Kremlin.
But the bloodthirsty despot appears closer than ever to unleashing his fury on the West as it rallies around Ukraine.
It comes after Armed Forces Minister Al Carns warned that Britain is on a war footing and the shadow of conflict with Russia is already at Europe’s door.
Carns, a former Royal Marines officer, said the UK had experienced a 50 per cent increase in Russian threats and attacks last year.
Vlad’s hybrid war on the West
by Katie Davis, Deputy Foreign Editor in Turku, Finland
A DRONE plunges into icy Baltic waters from a snow-flecked warship – its mission to head for the seabed and inspect for signs of sinister activity.
Tanks may not be storming the borders or air raid sirens blaring – but here in Europe‘s frozen north, Nato forces are chasing shadows.
Scheming Vladimir Putin is ripping up the playbook when it comes to conflict, waging a hybrid war against the West.
Sabotage, subversion and espionage are chief in Vlad’s toolkit as the tyrant twists the knife just enough to destabilise the West – but not to trigger a military response.
Moscow has been accused of orchestrating so-called greyzone operations such as cutting of key communications cables and dangerous drone incursions in a bid to intimidate Kyiv’s allies.
It may have crept up on Nato, but the alliance knows exactly what Russia is up to as Putin struggles to achieve his strategic goals in Ukraine.
The Sun was invited to join Nato forces in the Baltic Sea – the frontline of Putin’s clandestine war – as they launched a huge drill dubbed Freezing Winds, led by Finland.
Commanders on board the hulking Niels Juel frigate – the biggest vessel taking part in the exercise – told me how they face off with Russian ships every single day.
With 20 combat ships, fighter jets, helicopters and 5,000 soldiers involved in the drill, the message couldn’t be clearer: We’re watching you Vlad.
At the launch of the UK’s new Military Intelligence Services on December 11, Carns said: “The shadow of war is knocking on Europe’s door and that war could be bigger and bloodier than what we have experienced in recent times.
“If you look at the UK casualties taken in the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, that amounts to about a week in the war in Ukraine.
“If you are asking if Britain is on a war footing then you are on the money.”
He added: “We should remember that collectively the UK and its allies overmatch Russia significantly.
“While Ukraine has inflicted more than a million casualties on the largest armed forces in the world.”
Britain, along with other Nato member states, is being urged to switch to a “wartime mindset” and avoid becoming “quietly complacent” as Vlad increases pressure across the region.
Speaking at a security conference event in Berlin earlier this week, Nato chief Mark Rutte said: “We are Russia‘s next target. I fear that too many are quietly complacent.
“Too many don’t feel the urgency. And too many believe that time is on our side. It is not. The time for action is now.
“Conflict is at our door. Russia has brought war back to Europe. And we must be prepared.”
Under Labour, the UK has delayed reaching a Nato target of spending 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence.
The country has also scaled back military exercises involving all three branches of the armed forces.
It also comes after the First Sea Lord warned the Royal Navy is already struggling to stand up to Putin in the North Atlantic.
A chronic shortage of submarines is being blamed, meanwhile Russia has been investing billions in its Northern Fleet.
