Britain cannot defend itself against Putin's military might, top brass warn

Former RAF chief says that Britain's defences have been 'decimated' and would not survive a Russian air attack Camilla Turner By Camilla Turner 1:49AM GMT 20 Feb 2015 Britain cannot defend itself against the military threat posed by Russia, senior army figures have warned. As two RAF Typhoon fighters were scrambled on Wednesday evening to escort Russian long range bombers flying off Cornwall, military chiefs said that the UK “could not cope” with an all-out attack as our defences have been “decimated”. David Cameron said Moscow appeared to be "trying to make some sort of a point". "I don't think we should dignify it with too much of a response," he said. However, Sir Michael Graydon, former head of the RAF, appeared to take the threat far more seriously. Related Articles A British Royal Air Force (RAF) 6 Squadron Typhoon (bottom) intercepting a Russian Bear aircraft UK summons Russian ambassador after 'dangerous' bombers disrupt civil aircraft 30 Jan 2015 Putin will target the Baltic next, Defence Secretary warns 18 Feb 2015 Cameron: Russia 'trying to make some sort of a point' 19 Feb 2015 RAF jets intercept Russian bomber aircraft off Cornwall 19 Feb 2015 The fun and easy way to learn a new language Sponsored by Babbel “I very much doubt whether the UK could sustain a shooting war against Russia. We are at half the capabilities we had previously,” he told the Daily Mail. “They fly in these regions to check our air defences and have probably worked out we are not as sharp as we were. “They know it is provocative and they are doing it at a time when defence in the west is pretty wet compared to where they are.” As tensions between Nato and Russia have worsened over the Ukraine crisis, Moscow has significantly increased the number of military flights probing Nato airspace. The number of interceptions over the Baltic States trebled last year and Nato members including Britain have stepped up air policing support in the area. Air Commodore Andrew Lambert, who commanded Allied forces in northern Iraq in 1999, said: “If the Russians turned up the heat, we would struggle badly. “If Putin wanted to attack, he would not send a pair of bombers, he would send the lot and saturate our defences; we couldn’t cope”. He told The Daily Mail: “The Typhoon is a really good aircraft but with their relatively small numbers they would be overwhelmed: the Russians would outflank us, go around us or just go through us. “The modern generation of politicians has grown up in absolute security – they’ve never felt a threat to their existence, safety or security. “They’ve taken peace for granted and decimated the Armed Forces. Let’s hope we don’t pay the price.” The Russian Tupolev TU-95 bombers, known as Bears, were picked up in international airspace to the north west of Britain at round 6.30pm on Wednesday and escorted as they flew south, then turned around and flew off north. The interception of the Bears comes a fortnight after similar aircraft flew into the English Channel, prompting the Government to demand an explanation from the Russian ambassador. Michael Fallon, the Defence Secretary, said there is a “real and present danger” that Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, will launch a campaign of undercover attacks to destabilise the Baltic states on Nato’s eastern flank. He added tgat Putin might try to test Nato’s resolve with the same Kremlin-backed subversion used in Crimea and eastern Ukraine. Ukraine crisis moves to new front as Kiev warns Russian-backed rebels may assault Mariupol http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/defence/11424238/Britain-cannot-defend-itself-against-Putins-military-might-top-brass-warn.html