A former NATO secretary-general has said Russia's military hierarchy must be made aware of the possibility of "an actual and not fictitious war" with NATO.
Lord Robertson of Port Ellen, who served in the post from 1999 to 2003, told peers the UK and its allies "need to breed" in military chiefs in Moscow the worry of a possible conflict with NATO.
This is something Russia "could only lose", he said.
Lord Robertson also warned the West should not be nervous of Russian escalation.
"We need to guard against that fear, that apprehension of escalation in so many leaderships in Europe," he said.
"Instead of the West being nervous of Russian escalation, something that they've maxed out already, we need to breed in the military hierarchy in Moscow the worry that if they overdo what is being done in Ukraine then an actual and not fictitious war with NATO might be the result; a war that they know they could only lose."
Lord Robertson said his experience of the Russian military is they are "very patriotic and very conservative", adding: "The motherland is more important and in the end they will not be prepared to risk the motherland for a failing Putin-esque adventure, and especially one which has been so spectacularly unsuccessful and wasteful and indeed humiliating."
