Warrant Officer Paul Carney said soldiers should prepare their families for the possibility of being sent to Ukraine to fight Russia.
The UK’s top ‘other ranks’ soldier has said that British troops must be ready to fight Russia and should prepare their families for the prospect of an “extended” deployment, RT reported.
His advice comes after the UK’s new head of General Staff said that British forces must become capable of “defeating Russia in battle.”
Writing for the latest issue of the British Army’s Soldier magazine, Carney said that the Army is shaping itself to meet the threat from Russia and will be ready, with the right equipment, to play our part in deterring a future war in Europe.
“Deterring” in this case seemingly means deploying. “I want us all to check we are physically fit for operations. And it is also important we prepare loved ones and families, who often have the hardest role in our absence,” he continued.
“My ask is that you have discussions about a potential deployment with them now…we could be out of contact for extended periods on tour.”
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a special military operation following a request for help from the leaders of the Donbas republics.
He stressed that Moscow’s plans did not include an occupation of Ukrainian territories, its goals being the demilitarization and denazification of the country. In response, the West began to gradually introduce sweeping sanctions against Moscow and supply weapons and military equipment to Kyiv estimated at billions of dollars.
The UK has given Ukraine £2.3 billion ($2.7 billion) in military aid since Russia’s military operation began in Ukraine. British forces are currently training Ukrainian recruits in the UK, and its intelligence agencies are allegedly sharing information with their Ukrainian counterparts.