Terrifying scenario: A war with Russia will start exactly like this; You won't believe how long it will last

As Index reports, military officials in the United Kingdom have repeatedly warned that the country must prepare for war if it wants to avoid it.

But if the unthinkable happens and a conflict with Russia truly breaks out, the question is whether the UK could fight for more than just a few weeks, the British public broadcaster notes.

What would a modern war look like?

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According to reports, the first signal that war has begun would be the loss of mobile phone signals, accompanied by the inability to use payment cards, disruptions in food distribution, and power supply.

War is no longer fought only with drones, bombs, and missiles, as the people of Ukraine well know, because modern society depends on networks of undersea cables and pipelines that transmit data, financial transactions, and energy, the BBC emphasizes.

It is believed that Russian spy vessels, such as the “Yantar,” have already mapped these cables for potential sabotage, which is why the British Royal Navy recently invested heavily in a fleet of underwater drones.

In a war, such invisible actions, combined with attempts to “blind” Western satellites, would seriously undermine the United Kingdom’s ability to fight and create chaos in society.

A week or two of fighting, and that’s it?

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At the recent “Fighting a Long War” conference in London, organized by the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), military and political officials pointed out that there is little evidence that the United Kingdom has a plan for a war lasting longer than a few weeks.

Some even noted that Britain’s plan for mass casualties seems to be based on the assumption that there won’t be any casualties at all.

Experts also emphasize that a long war requires adequate support. It demands a second and even a third echelon—personnel, platforms, and logistical chains capable of absorbing losses and continuing the fight.

And the Russian military—an enormous force

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Justin Cramp, CEO of the private intelligence company Sibylline, says that Britain has deficiencies in ammunition, artillery, vehicles, air defense systems, and personnel, with limited or no ability to replenish units or replace casualties.

The war in Ukraine has highlighted two key lessons: drones have become an integral part of modern warfare, and “mass,” meaning sheer numbers of personnel and equipment, remains crucial.

It is noted that the Russian military, although of low quality, is enormous, which is its major advantage.

The British Ministry of Defence’s intelligence service estimates that since the start of the 2022 invasion, Russia has suffered over 1.1 million casualties, including killed, wounded, captured, and missing personnel.

However, Russia constantly rotates its troops on the front lines, Index reports, adding that the Russian economy has been functioning under sanctions for three years.

A particular problem for Britain – a shortage of soldiers

While France and Germany recently launched initiatives to revive voluntary military service, the idea of training a “citizen army” in the United Kingdom, proposed in 2024 by former Chief of the Army General Sir Patrick Sanders, was quickly rejected.

Former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace was even very blunt: “The reality is that our armed forces cannot survive on a diet of government propaganda, long-term spending commitments, and empty rhetoric.”

Thus, Britain’s defense has been underfunded for so long that the country is now dangerously vulnerable, particularly in air defense.

Where could the conflict break out?

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NATO military officials fear that Russian President Vladimir Putin, if he achieves his goals in Ukraine, could seek new targets.

One potential flashpoint is the Suwałki Corridor, a 100-kilometer stretch between Poland and Lithuania that separates Belarus from the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad.

Seizing this corridor would give Moscow direct access to the Baltic Sea.

Other potential targets could be the Baltic states: Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. All have Russian minorities, which Putin could use as a pretext for an invasion under the guise of “protection.”

A third possible flashpoint is the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard, administered by Norway, where Moscow already has a foothold in the mining town of Barentsburg.