Britain 'must prepare for war with Russia in next five years'

General Sir Patrick Sanders, former Chief of the General Staff, has warned that Britain must prepare for a possible war with Russia by 2030. In an interview he stated, “If Russia stops fighting in Ukraine, you get to a position where within a matter of months they will have the capability to conduct a limited attack on a Nato member that we will be responsible for supporting, and that happens by 2030.”

He emphasized the need for enhanced national resilience, including building bomb shelters and underground command centers, citing Finland’s example: “Finland has bomb shelters for 4.5 million people. It can survive as a government and as a society under direct missile and air attacks from Russia. We don’t have that.”

Sanders criticized the UK’s low funding for air defenses and urged investment in systems to counter drones and protect critical infrastructure like gas storage and power generation. He highlighted the government’s reluctance to prioritize such measures, recalling discussions where costs were deemed too high.

Sanders also expressed concern over the British Army’s reduced size, warning, “At the moment, the British Army is too small to survive more than the first few months of an intensive engagement.”