Russia tests WW3 warning sirens as state TV says it will wipe out British Army in 'weeks'
Russia appears to be getting its ducks in a row amid the rising tensions across the globe.
Nations are currently on tenterhooks after the United States and Iran teamed up to attack targets in Iran over the weekend, culminating in chaos across the Middle East.
On top of that, the war between Russia and Ukraine is still raging after four years - and there are fears that the entire planet could soon be engulfed in conflict.
Earlier this week, one of Vladimir Putin's close allies Dmitry Medvedev warned that World War 3 would 'undoubtedly begin' if US President Donald Trump doesn't rein it in. Both Moscow and China have interests in the region.
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Medvedev said that if the commander-in-chief 'continues his insane course of criminal regime change', an international conflict will likely kick off.
"And any event could be the trigger," he added, before describing the US and its allies participating in the clash with Iran as 'pigs' who 'don't want to give up their trough'.
In what many believe is preparation for a potential world war, Russia conducted a nationwide test of its warning sirens earlier this week.
People were told to 'remain calm and not panic' if or when this alert blares out in the future, before immediately switching on the nearest TV or radio to await further instruction.
The timing of the test run carried out by Russia's emergencies ministry - which blared out across the country's 11 time zones - has left some fearing the worst.
In the city of Yekaterinburg, a TV channel paused its regular programming to issue a notice about the impending warning siren test.
A message on the screen told viewers: "ATTENTION EVERYONE! THE PUBLIC ALERT SYSTEM IS BEING TESTED! PLEASE REMAIN CALM!"
According to the emergencies ministry, the warning sirens will be sounded if there is imminent danger.
"The warning system is designed to promptly transmit a signal to the public in the event of a threat or emergency of natural or man-made origin," it said.
"On hearing a siren, you must remain calm and not panic. Turn on the television - any public channel or radio - and listen to the informational announcement."
So, Russia is seemingly getting its house in order... and Putin's propagandists have been poking fun at the prospect of the UK's involvement in all of the current goings on.
State TV host Vladimir Solovyov has questioned if Britain is in a 'position of strength' and capable of going up against Russia, as he asked: "We just need to understand the size of the British Army. How many do they have now?"
Military expert Andrei Klintsevich responded saying: "75,000, including those with fur hats [bearskins] and so on."
According to Solovyov, it wouldn't take Russia long to wipe out this number of soldiers.
"That's two months of our work, and it will be completely destroyed, using conventional methods," he said, before mocking Sir Keir Starmer suggestion to send Brit troops to Ukraine to enforce a peace deal.
"This army will be worn down in two months," Solovyov continued. "Even strikes with conventional weapons and a large number of coffins going to Britain will raise the question: what are you idiots doing?
"There are no logistics to deliver them there, nor anywhere to place them [...] They will be immediately destroyed by precision strikes."
Meanwhile, Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelenskyy has suggested that Putin is all talk, no action when it comes to supporting Iran.
"He talks, but doesn't act, demonstrating that he is a weak ally of the Iranians," Zelenskyy said, as per the BBC. "Just as he was with Bashar Assad's Syria."
Why is Russia not supporting its ally Iran?
While the Russian foreign office has condemned the US-Israel strikes on Iran, experts say there is little chance of Russia providing military support.
This is despite Iran providing Russia with Shahed 136 drones to fight its war with Ukraine, and Russia in turn helping Iran modernise its military hardware.
There are several reasons Putin will be reluctant to aid Iran. Firstly, Al Jazeera notes, Israel and Russia currently enjoy an informal agreement not to attack each other.
Western sanctions against Russia don't apply in Israel, making it a safe haven for the Moscow elite.
Intervention in any conflict between the US and Iran could also move the dial on US president Donald Trump's stance on the war in Ukraine - so far, he has remained relatively neutral.
Matt Gerken, chief geopolitical strategist at BCA Research, told CNBC that Russia's military and economy had taken a battering from the Ukraine conflict and Western sanctions, so it is wary of overstretching itself.
It's also worth remembering that turmoil in the Middle East currently benefits Russia by driving up oil prices.
"Putin’s got to be thrilled, because anything that raises the price of oil is good for him," Ellen Wald, president of Transversal Consulting, told CNBC. "He’s definitely able to say: if you can’t get oil from the Gulf, hey, we’ve got a great supply."
Topics: Iran, Israel, Politics, Russia, US News, World News, Vladimir Putin, Donald Trump, Keir Starmer, UK News, Army
Olivia Burke