A fanatical Russian commander has suggested the fastest way of defeating Ukraine is to "wipe out the British Isles" and turn it into a "third world country".
The strange and alarming remarks were made by Andrey Gurulyov, a retired commander in the Russian military and current member of the Russian State Duma.
On Russian TV, the lieutenant general who served as a Russian tank commander said: "To serious things - London understands there is no defence against [Russian] hypersonic missiles.
"They understand, too, that the main target isn’t Germany or France - but the British Isles."
Hypersonic missiles are incredibly hard to stop as they fly five times faster than the speed of sound and on a different trajectory than other missiles.
Capable of reaching the UK in three minutes, they are also deadly with the potential to deliver nuclear strikes.
Around 50, he warned, would wipe out all of the UK's power stations and stop Western support for Ukraine, making it far easier for Vladimir Putin's regime to carry out its invasion plans, which are currently faltering as a counteroffensive is now underway in the Russian-occupied city of Kherson.
Gurulyov continued: "It is the closest target, it’s a nice target, which would allow [us] to change the outcome of this conflict [in Ukraine ].
"So by completely wiping out the British Isles, I think we’ll finish this story."
The term "British Isles" is a geographical term referring to Great Britain and its surrounding islands including the island of Ireland. The Republic of Ireland has been neutral since the 1930s.
The wild claims also said that Wales and Scotland would be moved to leave the UK, which would see the "end of the British Crown."
An attack on the UK would likely cause a world war due to its position in NATO, where an attack on one member state is considered an attack on all of them.
Gurulyov appeared to think the strike would stop the West from supporting Ukraine if such a devastating attack, in which millions could be killed, actually occurred.
He said: "The hypersonic weapon has an extraordinary destructive power, near-equivalent to a nuclear weapon - and is precise, too."
The UK made the ideal target, according to the member of the Russian parliament’s defence committee, due to its support for Ukraine since the war broke out in February and that it is preparing for war.
"They realise the number of currently deployed missiles allows destruction of the UK’s entire aviation grouping... Yes - they are preparing for the war with us. The whole situation is not about Ukraine.
"We are not fighting Ukraine, we are fighting our British ‘friends’ and [the US]."
Regular TV threats by Putin’s propagandists to strike Britain are seen as a sign of frustration, especially in military circles, over the Kremlin’s leader’s tactics which have seen an estimated 75,000 Russian soldiers killed or wounded in six months, while making relatively small territorial gains.
Moscow holds Britain responsible for galvanising the West to stand solidly with Ukraine, and also to provide arms to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
