A full Russian invasion of Ukraine would be on a scale "not seen in Europe since World War Two", the new head of the armed forces has warned.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin described as "deeply worrying" an escalating crisis over Ukraine - where a build-up of tens of thousands of Russian troops has raised Western fears of a new armed incursion, almost eight years on from Russia's annexation of Crimea.
The comments came as Ukraine's foreign minister told Sky News, "there would be a lot of dead Russian soldiers" if President Vladimir Putin decided to invade. Dmytro Kuleba said he was working with allies like the United States and the UK on ways to deter the Kremlin but signalled that the Ukrainian military was ready to defend the country.
"We - together with partners - we have to make this price unbearable for Putin," the foreign minister, on a trip to London, told Sky's Dermot Murnaghan in an exclusive UK broadcast interview.
"They [the US and other allies] can strike economically. We will be fighting on the ground. I am sorry to say that, but there will be a lot of dead Russian soldiers, and we hope President Putin does not want that to happen."
He described a three-pronged approach to trying to dissuade renewed Russian aggression - through political messaging, sanctions and closer military cooperation with partners.
Full Article
