The world has “become a safer place” since Russia invaded Ukraine, a senior British defense chief has claimed.
Air Vice Marshal Sean Bell, who served 32 years in the RAF and commanded 1 (Fighter) Squadron and the Harrier Force, said the rogue state was no longer the threat it once was after two years of war.
The former defense chief added that Putin’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine had depleted the Kremlin’s forces to such an extent that it was “unfit” to pose a threat to Europe for at least a decade.
And despite the war in Europe, ongoing fighting between Israel and Hamas and Iran’s major drone and missile attack on Jerusalem last week, the military analyst insisted the world was not on the brink of a new global conflict. .
“Paradoxically, the world has become a safer place since Russia invaded Ukraine,” Air Vice Marshal Bell told MailOnline.
Russia is no longer the threat it once was after its war in Ukraine, a former RAF commander has said. Pictured: The body of a Russian soldier is seen lying on the streets of Kharkiv on February 27, 2022, days after Putin’s invasion began.
The video captured the moment one of Putin’s £228m nuclear bombers was destroyed after being attacked by a Ukrainian missile.
Putin’s barbaric invasion of Ukraine had depleted the Kremlin’s forces to such an extent that it was “unfit” to pose a threat to Europe for at least a decade, the former defense chief said.
According to kyiv estimates, Russia has lost more than 400,000 soldiers killed or wounded in its continuing war against Ukraine.
Pictured is Air Vice Marshal Sean Bell, who has now launched a withering attack on European NATO countries that “weren’t doing their bit” and weren’t doing their part.
“We were worried about Russia’s military capabilities, but now Russia is not in a position to be a threat to Europe for the next 10 years.”
He added: “We are not at all on the brink of World War III.” The war in Gaza will be over. “It is clear that no one wants to see that escalation… The war between Russia and Ukraine will end.”
According to kyiv estimates, Russia has lost more than 400,000 soldiers killed or wounded in its continuing war against Ukraine.
The figure, released by Ukraine’s Defense Ministry earlier this month, suggests a staggering number of Russian casualties in the two years since Vladimir Putin launched the invasion on February 24, 2022.
By comparison, around 15,000 Soviet soldiers were killed and 53,000 wounded in Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan War, which lasted nine years, from 1979 to 1989. This suggests, therefore, that Russian casualties in Ukraine are approximately six times higher than those suffered by the Soviets. in less than a quarter of the time.
According to Ukrainian statistics, Putin would also have lost almost 6,500 tanks, more than 12,000 armored vehicles and more than 330 aircraft and about 325 helicopters.
Ukraine has not officially declared its war losses.
The figures, although unconfirmed, also represent the Ukrainian army’s fierce defense in its homeland against an invading force that many expected would achieve a quick victory.
The Minister of Defense of Ukraine also reported that between February 24, 2022 and February 16, 2024, Russia has lost approximately 6,465 tanks, 12,129 armored fighting vehicles, 9,641 artillery units and 984 multiple launch rocket systems.
Pictured: Ukraine’s Defense Ministry released this update this morning estimating Russian personnel losses to have exceeded 400,000.
The carnage in Ukraine led UK Defense Secretary Grant Shapps to say that the world had “moved from a post-war to a pre-war era” and that Britain must be prepared for a full-scale conflict in the future. nearby.
In Wednesday’s edition of the WhatsNew2Day, Shapps said that “threats to global peace are increasing” and that the UK’s armed forces “must be able to fight and defeat the enemy”.
It followed Rishi Sunak’s announcement that the military budget would increase by £75bn over the next six years, committing 2.5 per cent of GDP to defence.
‘We can see the risks all over the world. “Iran is trying to escalate the conflict in the Middle East, building and arming a deadly noose of militia groups around Israel,” Shapps wrote in the Mail.
‘So we are activating the UK’s defense industrial base and preparing to deter those who threaten our way of life.
“All this is based on defense spending, an issue defended by this newspaper and its readers.”
This fully funded commitment will mean we can defend our values ​​by ensuring our Armed Forces are fit to fight, now and in the future, writes Defense Secretary Grant Shapps.
Shapps (pictured, centre, in front of a new Challenger 3 tank) insisted the Government was activating the UK’s defense industrial base and “preparing to deter those who threaten our way of life”.
Britain is one of only 11 of 31 NATO countries that spend the base 2 percent of GDP on defense.
Poland spent the most, allocating 3.9 percent of GDP (the total value of goods produced and services) to its military.
The United States came in second, spending 3.5 percent.
But some key alliance allies are not meeting the minimum commitment.
These include France which spends 1.90 percent of GDP, Portugal which spends 1.48 percent, Italy 1.46 percent, Canada 1.38 percent, Turkey spends only 1, 31 percent and Spain 1.26 percent.
Air Vice Marshal Bell has now launched a withering attack on European NATO countries that were “not doing their bit” and were not doing their bit.
‘NATO is a pillar of our defence, but only 11 pay two per cent, so why would we spend more to bail out some of our European colleagues? “That doesn’t feel good at all,” Air Vice Marshal Bell told MailOnline.
“The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been a wake-up call. People in Europe say, “Wait a minute, we used to trust NATO.” If Trump enters, will that security blanket disappear?
“I would focus my efforts on encouraging European partners and getting them to spend more.”