How Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has made the world safer

The world has ‘become a safer place’ since Russia invaded Ukraine, a top British defence chief has claimed. Air Vice-Marshal Sean Bell (pictured), who served 32 years in the RAF and commanded 1 (Fighter) Squadron and the Harrier Force, said the rogue state was no longer the threat it once was after two years of war.

The former defence chief added that Putin ‘s barbaric invasion of Ukraine had depleted the Kremlin’s forces to such a degree that it was in ‘no fit state’ to pose a threat to Europe for at least a decade. And despite the war in Europe, on-going fighting between Israel and Hamas and last week’s major drone and missile attack by Iran against Jerusalem, the military analyst insisted the world was not on the brink of a new global conflict. ‘Paradoxically, the world has become a safer place since Russia invaded Ukraine,’ Air Vice-Marshal Bell told MailOnline. ‘We were worried about Russia’s military capability – but now Russia is in no fit state to be a threat to Europe for the next 10 years.’

He added: ‘We absolutely are not on the verge of World War Three. The war in Gaza will be over. It’s evident that nobody wants to see that escalate…The war between Russia and Ukraine will end.’ Russia has reportedly has lost more than 400,000 soldiers to death or injury in its continuing war against Ukraine, according to Kyiv’s approximations.

The figure, released by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence earlier this month, suggests a staggering number of Russian casualties in the two years since Vladimir Putin launched the invasion on February 24, 2022. By comparison, around 15,000 Soviet troops were killed and 53,000 injured in Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan war, which lasted from nine years – from 1979 to 1989. This therefore suggests Russian casualties in Ukraine are around six times greater than those suffered by the Soviets in less than a quarter of the time.

Putin has also reportedly lost almost 6,500 tanks, more than 12,000 armoured vehicles and over 330 jets and some 325 helicopters, according to Ukrainian statistics. Ukraine has not declared its official losses in the war. The figures – although unconfirmed – also represents the Ukrainian army’s fierce defence on its homeland against an invading force that many expected would sweep to a swift victory.

The carnage in Ukraine prompted UK Defence Secretary Grant Shapps (Pictured) to say the world had ‘moved from a post-war to a pre-war era’ – and that Britain must now be ready for large-scale conflict in the near future. Writing in Wednesday’s issue of the Daily Mail, Mr Shapps said the ‘threats to global peace are growing’ and that the UK’s armed forces ‘must be able to fight and win against the enemy’.

It followed the announcement by Rishi Sunak that the military budget would increase by £75bn over the next six years, committing 2.5 per cent of GDP towards defence. ‘We can see the risks around the world. Iran is seeking to escalate conflict in the Middle East, building and arming a deadly noose of militia groups around Israel,’ Mr Shapps wrote in the Mail. ‘So we are firing up the UK defence industrial base and preparing to deter those who threaten our way of life. All of this is underpinned by defence spending – an issue championed by this newspaper and its readers.’

Britain is one of just 11 of the 31 countries in Nato to be spending the baseline of two per cent of GDP on defence. Poland was the top spender, allocating 3.9 per cent of GDP – the total value of goods produced and services – to its military. The US was in second place, spending 3.5 per cent. But some key allies in the alliance are failing to meet the minimum commitment.

Among them include France, which spends 1.90 of GDP, Portugal that stumps up 1.48 per cent, Italy on 1.46 per cent Canada on 1.38 per cent, Turkey spends just 1.31 per cent and Spain 1.26 per cent. Air Vice-Marshal Bell has now launched a withering attack against the European countries in Nato who ‘weren’t doing their bit’ and pulling their weight.

‘Nato is a pillar of our defence, but only 11 pay two per cent, so why would we be spending more to bail out some of our European colleagues. That doesn’t feel right at all,’ Air Vice-Marshal Bell told MailOnline. ‘Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been a wake-up call. People in Europe are going ‘hang on a minute, we used to rely on Nato. If Trump gets in will that security blanket disappear?’. ‘I would focus my efforts on encouraging European partners and on getting them to spend more.’

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