Kremlin mouthpiece has sent a warning to NATO that World War Three “is already underway” sparking urgent fears of a possible escalation between Russia and the West.

Vladimir Putin’s ally Vladimir Solovyov warned on State-run TV channel Russia 1 that Russia are “confronted with a formidable enemy, we are dealing with the collective West, so to speak, which means more than 50 countries.”

He added, “Some of them are not Western, the West is no longer a geographical term. Either way, they will get the economy going and move it onto a war footing.”

Russia expert Julia Davis, translated and said that Solovyov has announced that Russia need “two and half years” to get in to a position where they can confront the West.

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Putin’s ally added, “We are moving towards World War III. In my opinion, it’s already underway. By the way, Trump thinks so too.”

Retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, who commanded the US Army in Europe between 2014 and 2018 has strongly urged NATO to prepare for war, because if the Alliance does not do so this could invite Moscow to start World War Three.

On Monday afternoon the British Defence Secretary has warned that the UK should prepare for war with Russia, China, Iran and North Korea within the next five years.

He warned that the UK has “come full circle, moving from a post-war to pre-war world” and that old and new enemies have now redrawn the battle lines against NATO and the West.

Shapps has said that it is “critical” that NATO members increase their defence budgets to at 2% of GDP and the UK will “strive” to hit the 2.5% goal “as soon as possible.”

The foundation of the rules of international order are currently being “shaken to the core,” the Middle East and Ukraine are the front contenders as the “era of the peace dividend” is now over.

Hodges told the Daily Mail, “[Russia] only respects strength. If they sense any weakness then they will continue to move forward.

“If they did it, it would be because they made the assessment that we were not ready or unified inside the alliance or that we did not have adequate ammunition or the ability to move fast enough.

“But if we are prepared, they still have a long way to go.”

Lieutenant General Hodges made reference to the Top Secret document by the German Armed Forces the Bundeswehr which was published by Bild which said that Berlin are preparing for war against Russia.

The secret doomsday report revealed that the Kremlin could be planning for a clash between NATO and Moscow which will then spark another war in Europe.

The Top Secret report warns that the Kremlin could start a war with Berlin as soon as February and Putin will mobilise 200,000 troops.

The report describes how Putin will start hybrid warfare, cyberattacks and clashes with the Baltic states and there will be a large scale military drill in Belarus and spark unrest leaving “numerous casualties” in the Suwalki Gap.

Lieutenant General Hodges added, “If the civilian leadership doesn’t think there’s a threat, they won’t be able to move quickly enough.

“Our leaders should talk to us like adults. It doesn’t mean you’re a scaremongerer, it means you’re taking precaution, which is exactly what we should be doing.”