Ben Wallace today claimed Vladimir Putin has gone 'full tonto' over Ukraine crisis as he chatted to UK troops
Defence Secretary said UK forces had 'kicked the backside' of Russia's Tsar Nicholas I during the Crimean War
Mr Wallace said that UK soldiers could 'always do it again' as he claimed Mr Putin has 'no friends, no alliances'
Comments came as Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised to send more defensive weapons to Ukraine
Ukraine is introducing a state of emergency amid growing fears of a full-scale Russian invasion of the country
Ben Wallace cited a 170-year-old conflict notorious for one of the worst military disasters in history today as he claimed the UK had 'kicked the backside' of former Russian leaders and 'can always do it again'.
The Defence Secretary, a former soldier who served as an officer in the Scots Guards in the 1990s, was giving troops a pep talk when he referenced the Crimean War in the 1850s - most remembered for the Charge of the Light Brigade when hundreds of cavalry were accidentally ordered to ride into Russian artillery.
He compared Vladimir Putin to Tsar Nicholas I because he also had no allies during the Crimean War. The overwhelming forces amassed by Britain, France and the Ottomans eventually prevailed, with Russia suing for peace when it looked like Austria would also line up against them - but the campaign was highly unpopular at home and dragged on for two years.
It also ended the career of the Earl of Aberdeen, the PM who took Britain into the conflict and whose government fell in 1855 partly due to resentment of the war.
Alongside the historical analysis, Mr Wallace dramatically escalated the government's rhetoric against Mr Putin personally by insisting he had gone 'full tonto'.
Commonwealth soldiers laughed nervously and Home Secretary Priti Patel sat stony-faced as they listened to the comments at the Horse Guards building in Westminster this morning.
It came as Ukraine announced a nationwide state of emergency and Boris Johnson declared that the UK will send more defensive weapons to the nation in a bid to deter a full-scale invasion by Mr Putin.
But fears are rising that it is only a matter of time, with Russian troops already being ordered into 'separatist' areas of Ukraine that have now been recognised by Moscow as 'independent'.
In more tumultuous developments today:
Mr Johnson has declared that the UK will send more 'lethal' defensive weapons to Ukraine;
Ms Truss said the Russian leader appears to be 'hell-bent' on a full-scale invasion after he moved thousands of troops into areas occupied by separatists in Ukraine's east;
Fighting along the frontline between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian rebels killed one Ukrainian soldier and wounded six others overnight, with a house also hit
Russia claimed to have foiled a terror attack against a church in occupied Crimea and arrested six Russian citizens it said were members of a banned 'right-wing' group, in what is feared to be another false flag
Ukrainian troops along the frontline with separatists reported receiving text messages warning of a Russian attack and telling them to abandon their posts
The EU was poised to sanction Russia's defence secretary, the head of its armed forces, the commander of its Black Sea fleet, all 351 members of the state Duma, prominent propagandists and a 'troll factory' in Moscow
Satellite images and photos from the ground showed that Russia continues to move troops to the borders, including newly-arrived troops in Belarus, close to Kiev
Denis Pushilin, leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, said conscription of men in the region is gathering pace to counter 'Ukrainian threats' and he is sure of support from 'big Russia'
r Wallace, a former Scots Guards officer, said his regiment had 'kicked the backside' of the tsar in the Crimea and 'we can always do it again'.
He said: 'It's going to be a busy Army. Unfortunately we've got a busy adversary now in Putin, who has gone full tonto.'
Mr Wallace said the UK has 1,000 personnel on stand-by to respond to the crisis, adding: 'The Scots Guards kicked the backside of Tsar Nicholas I in 1853 in Crimea – we can always do it again.'
He continued: 'Tsar Nicholas I made the same mistake Putin did… he had no friends, no alliances.'
Although the Crimean War began in 1853, Britain did not join it until 1854.
Mr Wallace made the remarks as he visited Horse Guards alongside Home Secretary Priti Patel to announce the Government is scrapping visa fees for long-serving overseas military personnel.
Ms Patel sat stony-faced as the Defence Secretary made the remarks about Mr Putin and the Crimean War while the soldiers sat opposite Mr Wallace appeared to laugh nervously.
The change on visas will mean overseas personnel serving in the British armed forces will be able to apply to stay in the UK without paying a £2,389 application fee.
The visa fee will be scrapped for personnel who have completed six years in the forces or been discharged due to an illness or injury sustained during their service. The waiver will also apply to eligible veterans.
The new policy will come into effect in the spring and could help some of the 9,000 non-UK citizens currently serving in the armed forces if they want to apply for indefinite leave to remain in the UK after their service ends.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has been hit by a 'massive' cyberattack targeting its government and banks, just hours after a nationwide state of emergency was declared in preparation for a feared Russian invasion.
The websites of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Service, and Cabinet of Ministers were all out of action Wednesday afternoon.
Deputy prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov said banks were also targeted in a 'massive' distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack - which uses computer networks to bombard websites with information until they crash - in what analysts have warned would likely be the first stage of a Russian attack.
It came just hours after the whole country was placed on a war footing: A state of emergency was declared, 200,000 military reservists called up, border zones were restricted and three million Ukrainians told to leave Russia, with Kiev acknowledging for the first time that an attack could now take place anywhere, at any time.
Under huge pressure from MPs to step up the UK response, Mr Johnson has promised more and tougher sanctions against Russia if Putin escalates further.
Earlier in the day, Vladimir Putin had given a sabre-rattling address to his troops to mark Defender of the Fatherland Day, praising their 'battle readiness' while saying he is assured that they will fight to defend Russian security interests - which he called 'non-negotiable'. Russia also evacuated staff from its Kiev embassy.
Ukraine's security agency claimed 45,000 plastic body bags have now been ordered to the Russian frontlines, giving the first hint of the amount lives Putin is willing to sacrifice to get what he wants - after Joe Biden said supplies of blood for transfusions have also been brought in.
Defence Secretary Liz Truss warned that Putin is 'hell-bent' on a full-scale invasion of Ukraine with a direct attack on the capital of Kiev 'highly likely' to be in his plans. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison predicted the attack is 'likely to occur within the next 24 hours'.
Meanwhile the EU imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Russia targeting the defence minister, heads of the armed forces, all 351 members of its parliament, and prominent propagandists. It comes after the US and UK announced their own measures on Tuesday, targeting oligarchs and banks.
Russia hit back, saying 'there should be no doubt' that new US sanctions would be met with a 'strong response' which would be 'well-calibrated and sensitive for the American side' - while warning it is 'capable of minimising the damage' from American measures.
Ms Truss said the Russian leader appears to be 'hell-bent' on invading his neighbour, including potentially an assault on the capital, Kiev.
She said the Government has further measures 'in the locker' which it could activate, after an initial tranche of sanctions announced yesterday was widely criticised as being too weak.
Mr Johnson announced at lunchtime that Britain will be sending more defensive weapons to Ukraine in response to the looming threat of a full-scale invasion.
The UK has already sent anti-tank weapons to the Ukrainian military to help counter the threat posed by Russian forces ringed around the country's borders.
The PM said: 'In light of the increasingly threatening behaviour from Russia, and in line with our previous support, the UK will shortly be providing a further package of military support to Ukraine.
'This will include lethal aid in the form of defensive weapons and non-lethal aid.'
Russia is currently estimated to have 150,000 troops massed on the borders around Ukraine, with warplanes and armoured vehicles continuing to deploy in the area.
Mr Putin has said the only way to resolve the crisis is for the government in Kiev to give up its ambitions to join Nato and to accept the 'demilitarisation' of the country.
Ukraine today said it is declaring a state of emergency as it urged its citizens living in Russia to leave the country.
Kiev is now calling up military reservists as it prepares to face down the full might of a potential Russian invasion.
The state of emergency move grants President Volodymyr Zelensky extra powers such as the ability to declare snap curfews and marks - for the first time - a direct acknowledgement from Kiev that Russia could now attack at any time in virtually any part of Ukraine, and not just rebel-held areas.
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