'We would fight tonight!' UK army chief issues Putin warning after Russia threatens West

Magowan responded: "If the British Army was asked to fight tonight, it would fight tonight.”

However, concerns still remain about the UK’s military capability, as its land army is at its smallest size since the 1700s.

Defence Secretary John Healy told POLITICO last month that the state of the British Army was “far worse than we thought” after his party gained control this summer.

In addition, Healy announced this week that the UK is getting rid of a dozen military helicopters and drones and five warships as part of a cost-cutting program.

Magowan also acknowledged that the Armed Forces possess “a range of operational risks and operational strengths.”

This came after the Russian president escalated tensions with the West, saying Russia had launched a new intermediate-range missile in a strike on Ukraine.

He also sent a warning to Ukraine’s western allies in a national television address, saying: "The targets for destruction during further tests of our newest missile systems will be determined by us based on the threats to the security of the Russian Federation.”

“We consider ourselves entitled to use our weapons against military facilities of those countries that allow their weapons to be used against our facilities."

Putin further threatened that in the event of an escalation of aggression, Russia would respond “just as decisively and in kind.”

He added: “I recommend that the ruling elites of those countries that are hatching plans to use their military contingents against Russia seriously think about this."

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky responded to the attacks, claiming Russia was using Ukraine as a “testing ground.”

He added: "Putin will do anything to keep his neighbor from slipping out of his grasp. And I thank every Ukrainian—men and women alike—who defend Ukraine from this evil with resilience, bravery, and strength."

Putin’s warnings came in response to the US authorising Ukraine to use US-supplied long range missiles to strike targets inside Russia, the first of which were fired on Tuesday.

Also this week, the Russian president signed a new nuclear doctrine that says an attack from a non-nuclear state, if backed by a nuclear power, will be treated as a joint attack on Russia.