Kathrine Frich
Senior British officials are warning that the conflict is no longer a distant war.
According to the UK’s Armed Forces Minister, the frontline is closer to home than many people think.
Royal Marine veteran and Armed Forces Minister Al Carns said Britain is already engaged in what he described as daily battles against Russia, even if they are not being fought with tanks on British soil.
“Ukraine is the frontline of European defence”
Speaking on the anniversary of the invasion, Carns drew comparisons with the late 1930s in Europe.
“They say history doesn’t repeat itself,” he said. “But if you go back to 1936, 1937, 1938, there are definitely a lot of similarities.”
He described Ukraine as “absolutely the frontline of European defence,” praising Kyiv for holding back Russian forces.
Carns also rejected the idea that Britain has no direct frontline in the conflict.
“A lot of people say the UK doesn’t have a frontline,” he said. “The reality is that we do. It sits in the North Atlantic. It sits in the High North. It sits in cyberspace and in influence.”
He stressed that these battles have been ongoing for years, pointing out that Russia’s war against Ukraine began in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea.
Heavy losses and global implications
UK officials revealed that in the past three months Russia has reportedly suffered at least 35,000 battlefield losses, more than it has been able to replace through recruitment.
Russian forces are said to be losing more than 1,000 troops per day to death and injury. Moscow has increasingly relied on foreign support, including the deployment of around 14,000 North Korean troops. It is believed that thousands of those soldiers have since been killed.
Carns described the cost to Russia as “almost unimaginable,” citing figures suggesting total Russian casualties since 2022 could exceed 1.2 million.
“That is more casualties than America had in the entire Second World War,” he said.
He added that he never expected to see North Korean troops fighting on European soil.
Growing pressure inside Russia
There are also growing concerns that Russia may turn to wider forced conscription as recruitment struggles intensify.
Earlier in the war, many recruits were drawn from Russian prisons and promised freedom and financial rewards if they survived a fixed period of service.
Analysts now warn that returning veterans, combined with economic strain, have contributed to rising crime and social instability inside Russia.
As the war enters its fifth year, Carns’ remarks reflect mounting anxiety among Western leaders that the conflict is reshaping global security in ways reminiscent of the build up to the Second World War.
Sources: Daily Mirror; UK Ministry of Defence; AFP
