UK's Defence Chief Tony Radakin calls Russia 'biggest threat' faced by Britain: Reports

The UK's Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, has said that the "challenge from Russia" will "endure way beyond 2022, 2023 and 2024." As the Russia-Ukraine war continues to rage on, Radakin claimed that Russia's military threat might last for decades, Forces News reported, citing BBC One's Sunday Morning Show.

Asserting that the Kremlin has suffered massive losses in the ongoing war with Ukraine, the UK's Chief of Defence staff stated that while Russia's land forces pose less of a threat in the short term, Moscow continues to be a "nuclear power" and has cyber and space capabilities. He called Russia the "biggest threat" faced by Britain.

Commenting on the Russia-Ukraine war, Radakin said that Russian President Vladimir Putin has "already lost" and asserted that Ukrainian armed forces believe that they will become victorious in the war as Russia has been "struggling" and has "lost" over 30% of its "land combat effectiveness."  

Admiral Tony Radakin claimed that 50,000 soldiers of Russia have either died or have been wounded in the ongoing military conflict, The DailyMail reported, citing BBC One's Sunday Morning Show. 

According to Radakin, Russia has suffered losses of nearly 1,700 Russian tanks and 4,000 armoured fighting vehicles. He underscored that Russia has been "struggling" to capture Donbas which is less than 10% of Ukraine's territory. He said that Russia has been "struggling" due to the "courage and determination" of the Ukrainian armed forces.

Radakin dismisses speculations regarding Putin's health

Admiral Tony Radakin refuted speculation about the Russian President's health and said that reports claiming that Putin is "not well" or could be killed was "wishful thinking", as reported by British media. 

It is pertinent to note here that ever since Russia launched a military offensive against Ukraine, the UK has been offering defence and humanitarian support to Kyiv. Furthermore, the British government has been imposing sanctions against Russia to pressurise the Kremlin to put an end to the war in Ukraine.

The UK administration has launched a training programme for Ukrainian soldiers in which around 10,000 troops will be given training across Britain. The first batch of Ukrainian troops is undergoing training in the UK.

Ukraine claims Russia lost 38,300 soldiers

In the latest update about the ongoing war between Moscow and Kyiv, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in a Facebook post said that Russia has lost 38,300 soldiers. According to Ukraine's forces, Russian troops have suffered the loss of 1,684 tanks, 3,879 combat armoured machines, and 846 artillery systems since the onset of the military conflict on February 24.

Apart from this, Russia lost 247 multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS), 220 warplanes, 188 helicopters, 110 anti-aircraft warfare systems, 2,746 vehicles and fuel tanks, 15 ships or boats, 688 unmanned aerial vehicles, 68 special units, 166 cruise missiles, as per Ukraine. 

(Image: @TonyRadakin/Twitter)