The British army could not fight for “more than a few days”, defence sources have warned, as Rishi Sunak was urged to “wake up” to the fight against Russia.
The army would run out of ammunition if called upon to fight, sources told Sky News, as concerns grew that the government’s ‘refresh’ of defence policy could be delayed.
Calling for more resources amid the growing conflict in Ukraine, sources told Sky News: “If you do not replace what you’re giving away, then the army cannot fight.
“Arguably it cannot fight now even at a very small scale – at least not for more than a few days.”
Lord George Robertson, the last British secretary general of Nato, urged Mr Sunak to take defence more seriously and invest in the right kind of capabilities to keep Britain safe.
“The prime minister needs to wake up to the fact that Vladimir Putin has declared war on the West and we are the second military power in the West and we’ve got to live up now to the challenge that he [Mr Sunak] faces,” he told Sky News in an interview.
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Drone explodes outside Russian city of Kaluga, governor says
A drone has exploded outside the Russian city of Kaluga, regional governor Vladislav Shapsha said on Monday, adding that no-one was injured in the blast.
“It has been established that the drone exploded in the air at an altitude of 50 metres in the forest near the city at five o’clock in the morning,” he wrote on Telegram.
Kaluga is about 150 km (93 miles) south west of Moscow and 260 km (162 miles) from the Ukrainian border.
The governor did not make clear the source of the drone.
Russia has said in the past that Ukrainian drones have flown into its territory and caused damage to civilian infrastructure, an assertion that Kyiv denies.
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