British army placed on alert

The UK’s army chief warned British soldiers to “prepare to fight in Europe once again” amid the Ukraine-Russia war — and mounting fears that Belarus troops could join the invasion.

Gen. Sir Patrick Sanders, in a message to his soldiers, said Russia’s attack on Ukraine “underlines our core purpose to protect the UK by being ready to right and win wars on land,” according to Sky News.

Sir Sanders, who just took over the top post, described himself as the first chief of the general staff since 1941 to take command of the army “in the shadow of a land war in Europe involving a continental power.

“There is now a burning imperative to forge an Army capable of fighting alongside our allies and defeating Russia in battle,” he said.

“We are the generation that must prepare the Army to fight in Europe once again.”

Sir Sanders’ pronouncement comes as an expert in Russian foreign policy said military training exercises held near the BelarusUkraine border could indicate that the Moscow ally might join the war.

“The concern is that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin has been trying to put pressure on [Belarus President Alexander] Lukashenko and force him to take a more aggressive stance to launch more aggressive actions out of Belarus involving Belarusian troops,” said Mark Voyger, a senior fellow with the Transatlantic Defense and Security Program at the Center for European Analysis, according to Express.co.uk.

The military exercises that Belarus will be holding in June and July in the Gomel region are likely just a cover for an impending invasion, he said.