The West’s populations must be ready for years of “hardship,” a UK general has said Western nations should prepare their peoples for a long-term drop in living standards if their standoff with Russia continues, the Britain’s former Assistant Chief of Defence Staff, Jonathan Shaw, has said.

[unable to retrieve full-text content]

A gas pipeline caught fire in the Russian city of Kerch in Crimea. A power transmission line was partially damaged as a result of the blaze, according to the city’s authorities, and efforts are underway to repair it as quickly as possible.