Are we ready for war? Welcome to The i Paper’s opinion series in which our writers tackle a grim question that, until recently, few had thought to consider.

• Ray Mears: This is the golden rule of preparing for war
• Not enough people want to die for Britain – and who can blame them?
• ‘Little green men’ and ghost fleets: How Russia could drag us into war before 2030
• How a ‘Q-Day’ attack on UK would unfold
• The wartime scenario most worrying for the UK’s generals
• Britain is closer to nuclear war than you think. This is how it will unfold

Vladimir Putin likes to taunt the West, saying it’s “fighting to the last Ukrainian”. Western leaders know Putin is not entirely wrong, even if they’re not saying it out loud.

That’s because Russia is a future threat to Nato’s eastern flank – and, thanks to article 5’s stipulation of collective defence (an attack on one Nato member is an attack on all), specifically to Britain too.

Questions about whether Britain is ready for war hinge more than you would think on what happens in Ukraine. Military planners are working on the basis that we must be ready for war before 2030 and the most likely adversary is Russia. When we think about whether we’re ready for war, we’re really thinking about whether we’re ready for war with Russia.

For the West, Ukraine is not just about winning the fight today. It’s about buying time to change the balance of force tomorrow – so Russia never believes it could launch and win a larger war. And if deterrence were to fail, that extra time would matter in ensuring the alliance could prevail.

Shifting that balance of power works in two ways. First, the continuing war in Ukraine degrades Russia by limiting its military and economic power. Second, it gives the West time to........

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