Earlier this month, people in Georgia marked a sombre anniversary \u2013 the day that Russian tanks crossed the border and effectively seized control of two of the country\u2019s regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. It was the first time Moscow used military force against another nation since the fall of the Berlin Wall, and yet the Western response stopped well short of imposing serious costs on Russia.<\/p>\n
In hindsight, following Russia\u2019s land grab in Crimea and five years of all-out war in Ukraine, it\u2019s hard not to draw comparisons to that short war in 2008 to the 1930s, where appeasement resulted in greater and more painful consequences only a few years down the track.<\/p>\n
Western nations, like Britain, have since woken up to the renewed Russian threat \u2013 and\u00a0Burnham\u2019s visit to Ukraine today<\/a>\u00a0reaffirms our nation\u2019s unwavering commitment to protecting democracy in Europe from Russian encroachment. The handover of blueprints for Storm Shadow missiles is a huge moment, boldly boosting Kyiv\u2019s ability to strike back.<\/p>\n It comes after\u00a0Moscow threatened unspecified \u201cconsequences\u201d<\/a>\u00a0towards London after UK-supplied drones were used against targets on Russian soil in recent weeks. While Russian sabre-rattling has, in the past, often come to nothing, it cannot be overlooked that the UK and the rest of NATO have a delicate balance to play in avoiding escalation into a wider nuclear conflict. Even on a smaller scale, Britain will see the recent cyber attack from Iran that\u00a0disabled a UK power plant for four days<\/a>\u00a0with unease \u2013 if Iran was able to do that, what could Russia do?<\/p>\n Become a friend of LabourList<\/a> and join our community. Our friends support our vital non-factional work and get access to exclusive content and events.\u00a0<\/p>\n One thing is certain \u2013 the age of the post-Cold War \u2018peace dividend\u2019 has come to an end, and renewed threats abroad, not just in Europe, but in the Middle East and Asia too, require re-equipping our military to make it fit to fight for modern warfare.<\/p>\n Burnham no doubt recognises the urgency of the threat, but how his government will attempt to find the money to spend on defence remains to be seen. The lesson from 2008 is clear: waiting until the threat is at the door is considerably more expensive than preparing for it in advance. The question now is whether the government\u2019s spending decisions will match the seriousness of the geopolitical challenges it now faces.<\/p>\n Subscribe here to our daily newsletter<\/a> roundup of Labour news, analysis and comment\u2013 and follow us on TikTok<\/a>, Bluesky<\/a>, WhatsApp<\/a>, X<\/a> and Facebook<\/a>. You can also write to our editor<\/a> to share your thoughts on our stories and share your own. The best letters are published every Sunday.<\/p>\n SHARE:\u00a0If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story \u2013 or any other topic involving Labour\u2013 contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at\u00a0[email\u00a0protected]<\/a>. Value our free and unique service?<\/p>\n LabourList has more readers than ever before – but we need your support. Our dedicated coverage of Labour’s policies and personalities, internal debates, selections and elections relies on donations from our readers.<\/p>\n
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