VLADIMIR Putin risks unleashing accidental nuclear war if Russian submarines and warplanes continue to “push” the British and US military, a former naval chief has warned.

Admiral Lord West said nuclear Armageddon “by accident” was now the greatest threat to humanity and posed a greater risk than global warming.

3

The former navy’s comment comes days after details of a British warship colliding with a deadly Russian submarine in the frigid North Atlantic were revealed.

The Russian hunter-killer – which can carry nuclear-tipped torpedoes – crashed into a sonar line towed by HMS Northumberland in December 2020.

It is believed to be the first collision between Russian ships and the Royal Navy since the end of the Cold War.

Speaking to The Sun Online, Admiral Lord West said Russian killer submarines were descending the west coast of Britain and into the Atlantic at levels “equivalent to what they were during the war. cold “.

He said: “These submarines operate in the north of Scotland and in the Atlantic and one of the things they love to do is find one of our ballistic missile submarines or a submarine. American sailor.

“But so far in the 50 to 60 years that we have used a deterrent device on the high seas, they have never been able to detect or fire on any of our ballistic missile submarines. . “

The former Navy Chief of Staff warned that if Russian submarines were able to track one down, it would have catastrophic consequences for the UK’s status as a nuclear power.

He said, “You don’t want that to happen because if, God forbid, there ever was a nuclear war, one of the things that gives us shape is a deterrent, is that they [The Russians] have no way of stopping our response if they turn London into glass with a nuclear weapon and if they did they know full well they would scoop it back from our submarines. “

The dramatic collision – believed to have been an accident – was caught on camera by a Channel 5 television crew while filming the Warship: Life At Sea show, which airs Mondays at 9 p.m.

The incredible clip shows crew members approaching the submarine in late 2020 before the disaster.

Panicked staff spring into action as one can be heard shouting, “What did I just hit?”

The impact caused considerable damage to HMS Northumberland’s sonar after it was dragged over the submarine’s hull.

This forced the British squad to abandon their mission and return to base for repairs.

In a stern warning, Admiral Lord West said it is these types of blunders combined with Putin’s “stance” on Ukraine that could lead to accidental nuclear war.

He told The Sun Online: “What we need to be concerned about are Putin’s actions: where he pushes and pushes, brings down more submarines, sees his plane flying near NATO ships, makes near misses and made all these postures about Ukraine.

“All of this is extremely dangerous because by mishap or mistake, things can evolve and things can evolve quite quickly.

“If you do something stupid sometimes things go wrong by mistake and very quickly you find yourself in a position that no one wants and that’s extremely worrying.

“As I said recently on the floor of the house, the biggest global threat to mankind and the existence of mankind is not global warming, it is in fact thermonuclear war by mishap. . It’s a bigger threat and it’s more of a risk now than it has been for 50 or 60 years. “

There were concerns that the Russians had attempted to cut essential undersea cables for internet and communication in the UK.

Putin’s dark fleet of submarines, dedicated to tampering with vital undersea internet cables, is secretly transported under larger ships.

They use robotic arms to tamper with or even cut key cables that help keep the global economy moving with potentially devastating consequences.

Submarine cables crisscrossing the seabed carry 97% of Internet traffic with $ 10,000 billion in daily financial transactions dependent on it.

“If these were cut it would shut down the world monetary system,” Lord West said.

“The cables between Europe go through the United Kingdom and go to the United States and [cutting them] would have a gigantic impact.

“There is no doubt that the Russians went down to the bottom of the sea and laughed at other people’s cables.”

3