Russian invasion of Ukraine: Former Nato chief warns of 'real risk' of Russian victory

General Sir Richard Sheriff has also warned Russia will never give up its attempt to subjugate Ukraine – and if successful will go on to target places like Poland and the Baltic states

A former Nato chief is warning there is a “real risk” Russia will win the war in Ukraine – and then go on to target places like Poland and the Baltic States.

General Sir Richard Sheriff, Nato’s former deputy supreme ally commander for Europe, said Europe needed to “catch up” to make sure it was capable of fighting in a war against Russia, claiming Vladimir Putin’s forces had the “upper hand” in Ukraine. He said Chief of Defence Admiral Sir Tony Radakin was “complacent” to say Britain was safe.

Earlier this week Admiral Radakin said Britain was “not on the cusp of war with Russia” and “not about to be invaded”.

Ukrainian troops in the Donbass volunteer battalion in the Lysychank district of the Lugansk region of Ukraine. Image: AFP/Getty Images.

He also said no one in the Ministry of Defence was talking about conscription “in any traditional sense of the term” and insisted Britain was safe because it was a Nato member and a responsible nuclear power.

Following this former junior defence minister Tobias Ellwood, who previously served in the British Army, branded Mr Putin “more dangerous” and “more powerful” than Joseph Stalin and warned the “penny hasn’t dropped yet that Europe is at war”. This comes as the world marked two years since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on Saturday.

General Sheriff told the BBC he sides “much more” with Mr Ellwood’s comments.

He said: “Russia is at war not just with Ukraine, but with the west and the idea of Ukraine joining the west. So Europe is de facto engaged in a war – we are not fighting, but we are engaged.

“Ukraine is fighting for its survival up against a Russia which has learned a lot of lessons in the last couple of years. Its armed forces were appalling to begin with and still blundering, but nevertheless they are capable of producing four million shells a year, against Europe and America with a maximum of one million.

“Russia has the upper hand and the strategic initiative in Ukraine and unless Europe steps up to the mark, there’s a real risk Russia will prevail in this conflict.

“If that happens, or a deal is forced on Ukraine with a [Donald] Trump election later on this year, then all that will happen is Russia will rebuild, regain, and have another go at completely subjugating Ukraine.

“It will never give up on that, and once it’s done that to Ukraine the logic is it will try to do it elsewhere, such as Eastern Poland or the Baltic states.”

General Sheriff said Nato was a “long way” from being ready to fight on the ground in Ukraine against Russia, and claimed there needed to be a “fundamental mind-shift” in Nato countries.

He said: “Russia will continue to present a real and present threat to the Transatlantic region and the only way to avoid getting embroiled in fighting is effective deterrence.”