A former general in the British Army has issued a major warning to the West regarding the possibility of Vladimir Putin winning the war as the illegal Russian aggression on Ukraine continues.

General Sir Patrick Sanders is a senior British Army officer who served as Chief of the General Staff from 13 June 2022 until 15 June 2024.

Since stepping down, he has spoken about the importance of Ukraine winning the war and what it means for maintaining world order.

Sanders appeared on an episode of the BBC’s Ukrainecast to discuss the future of the conflict and made a frightening warning about a post-Putin Russia.

He said: “We’ve now got these great powers, this axis of powers, trying to overturn a world order, and I don’t think peace with Russia is possible.

“Russia sees itself in an existential conflict with the West … I think Putin is a product of Russian strategic culture; he’s not the architect of it. And whatever follows Putin, we should assume will be just as difficult. Not necessarily as powerful, but just as difficult.

“Russia’s aims are: take over Ukraine, dominate its near-east, including parts of eastern Europe, and dismantle the euro-atlantic security order that we enjoy.”

Sanders’ warning comes as Volodymyr Zelensky warned of North Korean soldiers being deployed by Russia and joining the battlefield any day now.

Western officials have warned that North Korean units joining the fight would stoke the almost three-year war and bring geopolitical consequences as far as the Indo-Pacific region.

In a post on Telegram, Zelensky said Ukrainian intelligence had determined that “the first North Korean military will be used by Russia in combat zones” between Sunday and Monday.

He added that the deployment was “an obvious escalating move by Russia” but did not provide any further details, including where the North Korean soldiers may be sent.

North Korean units were detected on Wednesday in the Russian region of Kursk, according to Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate, known by its acronym GUR.