Protesters confront soldiers at Taksim Square, Istanbul, during the coup attempt in July OZAN KOSE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Turkey is replacing pro-western military officers in diplomatic and Nato posts in London and across Europe with pro-Russian hardliners, sources have claimed.

Their accounts are backed by a leaked email seen by The Times.

The purge comes in the aftermath of a failed coup against President Erdogan over the summer, and raises fears that the ability of the Nato alliance to function is being weakened, which would be a victory for President Putin.

Turkish officers recently dismissed from critical roles within Nato have written to General Curtis Scaparrotti, the alliance’s top commander, warning that “ultra-nationalists” are in the ascendancy in Turkey’s military, according to the leaked email. “I and my Turkish colleagues observe a considerable rise of ultra-nationalist, anti-western sentiments within our military and throughout…