The Russian Federation could “collapse” as a result of Vladimir Putin’s failed invasion, “massive amounts of corruption” and the West has been warned to “be prepared for the collapse of Russia.”

Former US Army Europe Commanding General Ben Hodges the key pillars of Russia’s industry are “suffering” in the energy and arms exports as a result of the war in Ukraine.

Tens of thousands of Russian have been killed in almost seven months and most of those soldiers came from regions outside of Moscow.

The Ukrainian authorities claim that more than 50,000 have been killed whilst the US Pentagon has put this number as high as 90,000.

General Hodges said that citizens who live out in Siberia, Chechnya and many other areas could now see this as an “opportunity to break away” from the Russian Federation.

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He urged NATO and the West to keep supporting Ukraine in their counteroffensive campaign and to they must now start building up “a strategy for the whole Black Sea region” both economically and militarily.

General Hodges warned that this could now be the “beginning of the collapse of the Russian Federation” as much as it is the beginning of the end for Putin’s position in the Kremlin.

General Hodges told Times Radio host Ayesha Hazarika, “We may be looking at the beginning of the collapse of the Russian Federation as it is over the next four or five years, the military has been exposed, the massive amounts of corruption are going to become increasingly intolerable for Russian citizens.”

He added, “Their two key pillars of the their industry, energy export and arms export, are going to be suffering.

“It’s a population that is not truly ethic Russian, there’s 120 different ethnic groups out there and most of these other ethic groups are paying the price for Putin’s war.

“The vast majority of casualties come from well outside of Moscow to St Petersburg and I think people out in Tuva and Siberia or in Chechnya and others may see opportunity to break away.

“The collective we, the West, need to be thinking about what are the implications for this?

“We were not prepared for the collapse of the Soviet Union, we need to be prepared for this possibility.”

Time Radio host Hazarika asked General Hodges, “What is it that the NATO and the West need to keep doing right now? What is the most important thing for the West to do?”

He replied, “Three things.

“Number one, we have got to maintain our unity together that there will be pressure on all out governments because of energy prices and things in the coming months.

“We’ve got to stick together.

“Number two, we got to deliver everything that we’ve all said we’re going to deliver as quickly as possible.

“Number three, the alliance needs to have a strategy for the whole Black Sea region, a compressive economic, not just military.”

He added, “The Ukrainians were able to put a large number of troops up in the northern part close to Kharkiv without the Russians realising it.

“While at the same time talking up very publicly about an offensive down in Kherson and the Russians tool that bait and repositioned forces down in the south, which created the weakness that the Ukrainians have exploited on the last few days.

“The Russians have collapsed in so many places because they’re exhausted, their logistics are exhausted, their officers have been killed and frankly most of the just don’t have the will to fight.

“I do believe and have believed for several months that the Ukrainians were going to push the Russians back to the 23 February line by the end of this year and that they would get Crimea completely sometime next year.

“I could add that I may have been a little bit too conservative in that, this is going faster than I would have anticipated.”

Putin has been ordered to “resign” as a result of the Russian Army having been “defeated” so heavily and Moscows troops are in “total disarray” with low morale and thousands of desertions.

Moscow’s municipal officials wrote in a letter to Putin, “The rhetoric you and your subordinates have used for a long time is imbued with intolerance and aggression, which in the end has effectively sent our country back into the Cold War era.

“Russia is once again feared and hated, and we are once again threatening the world with nuclear weapons.

“In view of the above, we ask that you resign from your post, since your views and your model of government are hopelessly outdated and hinder the development of Russia and its human potential.”