Nato prepares military plans to defend against bruised but unbowed Russia

Russia’s armed forces are bruised but by no means beaten in the war in Ukraine, a top Nato military officer has said (Vadim Ghirda/AP)

Russia’s armed forces are bruised but by no means beaten in the war in Ukraine, a top Nato official said on Monday, as he laid out the biggest revamp to the organisation’s military plans since the Cold War should Moscow dare to widen the conflict.

“They might not be 11ft tall, but they are certainly not 2ft tall,” Admiral Rob Bauer, chairman of the Nato Military Committee, told reporters. “So, we should never under-estimate the Russians and their ability to bounce back.”