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The world is on the brink of “the last war in the history of mankind” amid the fallout from the Salisbury nerve attack, a Russian former general has warned.

Evgeny Buzhinsky claimed that diplomatic tensions between Russian and the West are “worse than the cold war” and could end in an armed conflict.

It comes after around 150 Russian diplomats were expelled from countries across the world after Britain accused Russia of using a nerve agent on ex-spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury.

Retired lieutenant general Mr Buzhinsky told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It’s worse than the cold war because if the situation will develop in the way it is now I’m afraid it will end up in a very, very bad outcome.”

Clarifying what he meant by this, he added: “A real war, worse than the cold war is a real war, the last war in the history of mankind.”

He said war could be caused not directly by the Salisbury poisoning but by what has happened since then.

He said: “You see the pressure from the United States, you are saying the pressure will continue – what are you going to achieve?

"If you’re going to achieve regime change it’s useless, actually you are cornering Russia, and to corner Russia is a very dangerous thing.”

Russian Spy Sergei Skripal: Salisbury Nerve Agent Incident 14 show all Russian Spy Sergei Skripal: Salisbury Nerve Agent Incident 1/14 Investigators in protective gear pursue the probe into the nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal Getty 2/14 Russian spy 'poisoning': Sergei Skripal and Yulia Skripal are fighting for life in hospital PA 3/14 Personnel in hazmat suits work to secure a tent covering a bench in the Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury, where former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found critically ill by exposure to a nerve agent Andrew Matthews/PA 4/14 ilitary personnel are deployed to help remove vehicles from the scene after former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter were found critically ill after exposure to a nerve agent in Salisbury Getty Images 5/14 Military in protective clothing remove vehicles from a car park in Salisbury EPA 6/14 Police cordon: Military personnel in Salisbury PA 7/14 Traces of the nerve agent used to poison Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found at Zizzi in Salisbury PA 8/14 Amber Rudd: she visited the scene where Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found after having been poisoned by a nerve agent REUTERS 9/14 Personnel are helped from their hazmat suits (right), after securing a tent covering a bench in the Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury, where former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found critically ill by exposure to a nerve agent Andrew Matthews/PA 10/14 Personnel in hazmat suits walk away after securing a tent covering a bench in the Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury, where former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found critically ill by exposure to a nerve agent Andrew Matthews/PA 11/14 Police put a red bag inside a police evidence bag immediately after the nerve agent attack on a Russian spy. Officers previously issued CCTV of a woman clutching a red bag Solent news 12/14 Snap Fitness 24/7 13/14 Police activity in the cul-de-sac in Salisbury that contains the home of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal who was poisoned along with daughter Yulia with a nerve agent PA 14/14 Sergei Skripal shops at Bargain Stop in a CCTV image from five days before his apparent poisoning 1/14 Investigators in protective gear pursue the probe into the nerve agent attack on Sergei Skripal Getty 2/14 Russian spy 'poisoning': Sergei Skripal and Yulia Skripal are fighting for life in hospital PA 3/14 Personnel in hazmat suits work to secure a tent covering a bench in the Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury, where former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found critically ill by exposure to a nerve agent Andrew Matthews/PA 4/14 ilitary personnel are deployed to help remove vehicles from the scene after former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter were found critically ill after exposure to a nerve agent in Salisbury Getty Images 5/14 Military in protective clothing remove vehicles from a car park in Salisbury EPA 6/14 Police cordon: Military personnel in Salisbury PA 7/14 Traces of the nerve agent used to poison Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found at Zizzi in Salisbury PA 8/14 Amber Rudd: she visited the scene where Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found after having been poisoned by a nerve agent REUTERS 9/14 Personnel are helped from their hazmat suits (right), after securing a tent covering a bench in the Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury, where former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found critically ill by exposure to a nerve agent Andrew Matthews/PA 10/14 Personnel in hazmat suits walk away after securing a tent covering a bench in the Maltings shopping centre in Salisbury, where former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were found critically ill by exposure to a nerve agent Andrew Matthews/PA 11/14 Police put a red bag inside a police evidence bag immediately after the nerve agent attack on a Russian spy. Officers previously issued CCTV of a woman clutching a red bag Solent news 12/14 Snap Fitness 24/7 13/14 Police activity in the cul-de-sac in Salisbury that contains the home of former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal who was poisoned along with daughter Yulia with a nerve agent PA 14/14 Sergei Skripal shops at Bargain Stop in a CCTV image from five days before his apparent poisoning

On Monday, a Ukrainian ex-president who was poisoned during a presidential campaign when he faced a Kremlin-backed rival said Europe is "blind" to the dangers posed by Russia.

Viktor Yushchenko, whose meal was laced with toxic chemical dioxin in 2004 as he competed against Viktor Yanukovych, told the BBC in the wake of the poisoning case.

He said: "I would like what we call United Europe to finally realise that the biggest challenge for its citizens is the medieval policy pursued by Russia in the 21st century.”

Russia has repeatedly denied involvement with the poisoning of former double agent Mr Skripal, 66, who was attacked along with his daughter in Salisbury on March 4.

Mr Skripal remains in a critical but stable condition while Ms Skripal, 33, is no longer critical and is said to be showing signs of improvement.