The UK’s Chief of the Defense Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, has claimed that the chances of a direct confrontation with Russian forces on UK soil are not “zero” – a speculation dismissed by Moscow as “nonsense.”
Russia has consistently rejected claims that it plans to attack European NATO countries, describing them as warmongering tactics used by Western politicians to justify inflated military budgets.
Moscow insists it is defending its citizens in the Ukraine conflict and has accused NATO of provoking hostilities and derailing US-backed peace efforts.
During a lecture at the Royal United Services Institute on Monday, Knighton acknowledged that the probability of a direct conflict with Russia is “remote” but claimed that this “does not mean the chances are zero.”
“More people being ready to fight for their country” is essential, Knighton said, adding that the response to modern threats “must go beyond simply strengthening our armed forces” and involve every part of British society.
Sons and daughters. Colleagues. Veterans… will all have a part to play. To build. To serve. And if necessary, to fight. And more families will know what sacrifice for our nation means.
Knighton’s remarks echoed those made last month by his “good friend” Fabien Mandon, the French chief of defense, who also warned that citizens must be prepared to “lose children” in a potential war with Russia.
The speech comes as a handful of European NATO states once again floated the controversial idea of sending a multinational force into Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire.
Moscow has strongly rejected any such deployment, warning that any NATO country which sends troops to Ukraine would be treated as direct participation in the conflict. Russian officials have described the idea as a reckless escalation that undermines peace efforts and risks drawing the entire bloc into open confrontation.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier this year that Western European leaders were “trying to prepare Europe for war – not some hybrid war, but a real war against Russia.” He accused the EU of sliding into what he described as a “Fourth Reich,” marked by a surge in Russophobia and aggressive militarization.