Putin ally threatens to nuke Britain into extinction in Third World War and warns Nato is ‘playing with fire’

AN ally of Vladimir Putin has threatened to nuke Britain into extinction in a Third World War and warned Nato is “playing with fire”.

Retired general Evgeny Buzhinsky’s chilling comments come as Lithuania – a Nato country – is restricting the movement of goods out of Russian territory.

The dispute between the two countries concerns the transit of goods from the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, which is separated from the rest of country and borders Lithuania.

Speaking on Russian TV, Buzhinsky lashed out at British general Sir Patrick Sanders.

Sir Patrick issued a rallying call to troops to prepare to fight and beat Russian forces in a Third World War as he took command of the UK’s land forces this week.

“He doesn’t understand that as a result of the Third World War Britain will physically cease to exist,” said the Putin ally.

“The island will vanish, so I’ve no idea where he or his descendants will live.”

Buzhinsky warned that alongside the war in Ukraine, the Kaliningrad situation is “deeply serious”.

He urged Vladimir Putin to respond immediately by sending nuclear weapons to Kaliningrad, which is wedged between Lithuania and Poland, and is also the headquarters of the Kremlin’s Baltic Fleet.

The Lithuanians say they are merely enforcing crushing sanctions the European Union has imposed on Russia over the war in Ukraine.

The country is blocking the transit of sanctioned goods, such as steel, travelling to and from Kaliningrad via the only railway line connected to the territory.

It means the only way for Russia to supply the territory now without worrying about EU sanctions is by sea.

But the move has sparked anger in Russia with Buzhinsky saying the West intended to “block Kaliningrad economically, completely, until our people howl from destitution”.

Buzhinsky, who served in senior positions in the Russian defence ministry, said: “We have to take very decisive steps.

“This is a long game to push us out from the Baltic Sea, an attempt to block and cut Kaliningrad off, and finally to take it away from us.

“We need to demonstratively move nuclear weapons to Kaliningrad.”

He also called for the nullifying of Russia’s recognition of Lithuania’s independence, then to “switch Lithuania off from energy”.

He urged the Kremlin to take control of the so-called Suvalkovsky corridor - the supply route across Lithuania from Russian ally Belarus.

It comes after Putin has issued a chilling threat to the former countries of the Soviet Union, warning of a repeat of the Ukrainian invasion if anyone defies Russia.

Between 1990 and 1991, the Soviet Union fell apart, creating the countries of Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

Speaking on Sunday, Putin made clear he wouldn't hesitate to extend the Ukrainian war to other countries he views as within Russia's orbit.

He also said any countries that turned against the Kremlin would no longer "be allies" with Moscow.