Former NATO commander warns a nuclear war with Russia is ‘very real’ as Putin warns of ‘bloodshed’

General Sir Richard Sherriff, Britain’s former top NATO commander has warned a nuclear war with Russia is “very real” as the situation in Ukraine is the worse case scenario in decades.

General Sherriff warned that war will initially start with Russia and Ukraine and then NATO could get involved which is “very real.”

The former NATO commander told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, “This is the most dangerous moment in Europe probably at least since 1962 and the Cuban missile crisis, but it could be much worse than that because this is the invasion of a sovereign country which could turn into a catastrophic war with warfare on a scale not seen in Europe since 1945.

“So I think it’s difficult to overstate the seriousness of the situation.

“Once war has started, assuming Putin decides to continue what he has embarked upon and attacks Ukraine, the potential to escalate and potentially involve NATO is a very real possibility.”

He added, “Nobody starts a war if they don’t think they can win it.

“Putin thinks he will be able take over Ukraine that is the assumption we must make from what we’re watching in Donetsk and Luhansk.

“NATO has got to make it absolutely clear that whatever happens in Ukraine that it will not go further because if it doesn’t and Putin thinks he can win a war against NATO then we’re in a terrible position.”

He further warned that Russia will integrate their thinking of a nuclear option into “every aspect of their military doctrine and they practice it.”

General Sherriff gave a very grim warning, he said, “We’ve seen they’ve been practicing it in Belarus in exercises that have been happening in the last Ukraine crisis when Russia invaded Crimea.

“Nuclear blackmail, nuclear thinking is integrated into every aspect of military and defence doctrine so we have to assume the worst in that case.”

On Monday evening Vladimir Putin gave the order for Russian troops to enter into Ukraine and warned there will be “bloodshed.”

During a televised address Putin said, “We demand that those who seized power in Kyiv immediately stop hostilities, otherwise the responsibility for the continuing bloodshed will rest entirely with the Ukrainian regime.