Threat from Russia 'will become even more acute'

General Sir Patrick Sanders, the head of the British Army, has said it is “dangerous” to assume that Ukraine is a “limited conflict”. Speaking to the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) land warfare conference in London, Sir Patrick said: "Historically Russia often starts wars badly. Because Russia wages war at the strategic and not the tactical level its depth and resilience means it can suffer any number of campaigns, battles and engagements lost and yet regenerate and still ultimately prevail. “While Russia’s conventional capability will be reduced for a time at least, Putin’s declared intent to restore the lands of historic Russia makes any respite temporary and the threat will become even more acute. “We don’t know how the war in Ukraine will end but in most scenarios Russia will be an even greater threat to European security after Ukraine than it was before. “The Russian invasion has reminded us of that time-honoured maxim that if you want to avert conflict you had better be prepared to fight.”