ritain’s armed forces commander has dismissed speculation that Russian President Vladimir Putin is “not good” or can be killed as “wishful thinking”.
The British Chief of the Defense Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin was asked if President Putin, who is planning an invasion of… Ukraine in February could be “overthrown” or face “regime change”.
But he told Sophie Raworth on BBC One’s Sunday Morning show: “I think some of the comments that he’s not feeling well or that someone is definitely going to kill him or take him out, I think they’re wishful thinking.
As military professionals we see a relatively stable regime in Russia, President Putin has managed to crush every opposition
“As military professionals we see a relatively stable regime in Russia, President Putin has been able to crush every opposition, we see a hierarchy invested in President Putin and so no one at the top has the motivation to expel President Putin. days, and that is bleak.”
He said Russia’s “challenge” may continue for decades to come in terms of Russia as a threat,” and that the next prime minister should know that Russia is “the biggest threat” to the UK.
He added: “So the biggest threat is Russia, and that is Russia in all its guises if you look at it militarily.
“The land forces are probably less of a threat in the short term because of that degradation, that depletion that we see with their struggle in Ukraine.
“But Russia remains a nuclear power, it has cyber capabilities, it has space capabilities and it has certain programs underwater so it can threaten the underwater cables that allow the world’s information to travel around the world.”
On what Britain’s armed forces would look like if defense spending rose to 3% of GDP, he said: “I think they would be even more modern and have even more clout and they would have even more impact across the globe. world, and that is clearly a choice for the government.”
Reflecting on a recent visit to Kiev, he said the Ukrainian military “absolutely” believed it would win the war.
He added: “They plan to restore their entire territory in terms of Ukraine, and they see a Russia struggling, a Russia that we estimate has lost more than 30% of its effectiveness in land combat. .
“What that actually means is 50,000 Russian soldiers killed or injured in this conflict, nearly 1,700 Russian tanks destroyed, nearly 4,000 armored fighting vehicles destroyed by Russia.”
On how he will inform the next prime minister, he added: “We will always brief them on the current situation so that they know where we have our armed forces.
“It’s dominated by Ukraine and the support we’re providing to Ukraine, but we’re also trying to step back and present a broader threat picture.
“And then we have to remind the Prime Minister of the extraordinary responsibility they have with the UK as a nuclear power, and that is part of the initiation for a new British Prime Minister.”