A senior Russian military officer has warned that the conflict in Ukraine could escalate into a full-scale war in Europe
Colonel-General Vladimir Zarudnitsky said the probability of Moscow's forces becoming involved in a new conflict is increasing "significantly."
The head of the Russian army's Military Academy of the General Staff, made the comments in an article for "Military Thought", a defence ministry publication.
Zarudnitsky's comments come at a time when the West is scrambling to help Ukraine with more arms.
Colonel-General Vladimir Zarudnitsky with Vladimir Putin
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Local media cited him as saying: "The possibility of an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine - from the expansion of participants in 'proxy forces' used for military confrontation with Russia to a large-scale war in Europe - cannot be ruled out.
"The main source of military threats to our state is the anti-Russian policy of the United States and its allies, who are conducting a new type of hybrid warfare in order to weaken Russia in every possible way, limit its sovereignty and destroy its territorial integrity.
"The likelihood of our state being purposefully drawn into new military conflicts is significantly increasing."
Kyiv's failed counteroffensive last summer after Russian forces regained the initiative on the battlefield has caused tensions to rise between Moscow and the West.
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The war in Ukraine has triggered the deepest crisis in Russia's relations with the West since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis and President Vladimir Putin has warned that the West risks provoking a nuclear war if it sends troops to fight in Ukraine.
Putin has cast his decision to send tens of thousands of troops into Ukraine in February 2022 as a special military operation designed to secure Russia's own security against an increasingly hostile US-backed Ukrainian leadership.
Kyiv says it is defending itself against an imperial-style war of conquest designed to erase its national identity.
Zarudnitsky advocated a number of changes in the way Russia organises its military and security
Some of Zarudnitsky's proposals include placing greater emphasis on relying on what he called friendly countries to ensure Russia's own security.
He also suggested consolidating the whole of Russian society around its defence needs.
