Britain and the West need to arm for a “generational struggle” with Russia, the head of the British Army warned today.
Vladimir Putin’s forces are locked in a bitter war with Ukraine - and the Kremlin tyrant suffered the biggest threat to his 23-year grip on power at the weekend when a mercenary chief briefly launched a revolt.
Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was accused of treachery by Putin after vowing to march on Moscow. He later accepted exile in Belarus.
Rishi Sunak warned “real cracks” were emerging in Putin's premiership following the revolt.
Asked if he agrees with the US assessment that it shows "real cracks" in Putin's regime, the Prime Minister said: "Yes”, adding: "It's too early to predict with certainty what the consequences of this might be, but of course, as we always would be, for a range of scenarios."
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace admitted the rebellion caught the West by “surprise” but said it was unlikely to trigger a “massive derailment of the Kremlin”.
He said the uprising was “another example of the cracks” in Russian leadership.
Citing the “turbulent events of this weekend”, Chief of the General Staff General Sir Patrick Sanders said: “I’m inclined to follow the advice of those who live on NATO’s eastern flank - those who know you should never write off Moscow, those who know that throughout its long and turbulent history, Russia has been a country of comebacks.
“We should also consider that a fractured Russia is unlikely to be a good thing for European security.”
Sir Patrick urged Western allies to bolster defences while Moscow wages war against Kyiv.
Addressing military experts at the Royal United Services Institute’s Land Warfare Conference in Westminster, the top soldier urged governments to begin pumping cash back into their armed forces after years of cuts at the end of the Cold War.
He said that while “NATO is stronger”, Russia is only “temporarily weaker”.
“Ukrainian bravery and sacrifice is buying us time - time to modernise, time to train ourselves, time to ensure that we are prepared so that we can deter. The armed forces of Ukraine have granted us an opportunity to avert the spread of war, a chance to reverse some of the disinvestment that came during the peace dividend that came with the fall of the Berlin Wall and that we all hoped would prevail,” he said.
“No matter how this war ends - and it must be through a Ukrainian victory - I believe the Russian threat will remain.”
Sir Patrick feared that “despite setbacks, Moscow’s intent has been revealed to the world”.
He added: “This will be a generational struggle; it’s one we must arm ourselves for, it’s one we must be prepared for.”
He launched a damning attack on Army equipment, as the Government prepares to provide billions of pounds worth of new military kit.
Sir Patrick highlighted the 60-year-old armoured personnel carrier FV432 which is still in service, the 50-year-old CVR(T) armed reconnaissance vehicle and the Warrior infantry fighting vehicle introduced in 1987.
“Many of our platforms are outdated and not fit for purpose,” said the general.
“These are rotary-dial telephones in an iPhone age.”
Sir Patrick also blasted the Government's “poor” procurement record for buying gear and said the Army Reserve of part-time troops - previously called the Territorial Army - was “not as capable and credible as it needs to be”.
Asked about cuts to full-time troop numbers from 82,000 to 72,500 in the 2021 Integrated Review of defence, security and foreign affairs - which are unlikely to be reversed when a Defence Command Paper is published within days - Sir Patrick admitted: “Would I like a bigger Army?
“Find me an Army head that wouldn’t.
“Would it be my top priority? It wouldn’t be the top one.”
* Follow Mirror Politics on Snapchat, Tiktok, Twitter and Facebook
