‘The Daily Maul’: Soldiers in the British Army's largest infantry regiment are preparing for potential war with Russia

Copehill Down – technically known as a 'Fighting in Built Areas' (FIBUA) facility – is located in the middle of the villages of Shrewton, Chitterne and Tilshead

Soldiers in the British Army's largest infantry regiment are preparing for potential war with Russia at the UK's only training area to replicate a Ukrainian conflict zone, ‘The Daily Mail’ reports.

Troops are practising for the challenges posed by fighting in urban environments at Copehill Down, a unique Ministry of Defence facility on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire.

The latest episode of Channel 5's 'Platoon 24/7: Preparing for War' has provided a fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the close quarters battle training centre.

Soldiers from The Rifles were told they must defeat an enemy force hidden inside three buildings in the facility which has been created to look like a bombed town.

The exercise was held in the days before the recruits were deployed to a Nato training area in Germany to spend a month preparing for battle in eastern Europe.

Captain Mike Lindgren, the officer commanding D Company, 5th Battalion, The Rifles, tells the documentary: 'A war with Russia would be soldiers versus soldiers.

'They've got the same kind of equipment that we have, similar training with different methods. That fight would end up potentially in places that look a little bit like this.'

Soldiers are told they must defeat an enemy force hidden inside three buildings in the facility:

He says there is 'probably no greater challenge than urban environments in war because they are 'supremely confusing' and 'communications don't work too well'.

Captain Lindgren adds: 'The enemy isn't directly in front of you, the enemy could be above you, to the left of you, it could be below you in sewer systems, etc.

'We're looking for Riflemen to demonstrate that will to fight, to go into a building in the dark where you know there's people who aren't your friends and kill them at really close range.'

Speaking about the exercise, he also says: 'It's in your face, it's close and personal. For the young soldiers, it will be very intense.'

The site was built in 1987 to resemble a German village in Bavaria before being expanded over the years, including a £190,000 'shoot house' in 2015.

A further £325,000 project at the time also added new alleyways, tunnels, compounds and high-level walkways to the area.

The recruits have been undergoing brutal training over six months while being readied for possible frontline deployment in eastern Europe.

They were shown being taught to eliminate targets at close range under 'Sword Lane' training.

This is designed to test the soldiers' physical and mental endurance and teach them 'controlled aggression' while under extreme exhaustion and little sleep.

Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to put British boots on the ground in Ukraine once the war is over.

Copehill Down – technically known as a 'Fighting in Built Areas' (FIBUA) facility – is located in the middle of the villages of Shrewton, Chitterne and Tilshead

…It's as if British strategists haven't heard Vladimir Putin's words. They say, "A war with Russia would be soldiers vs soldiers."

And Putin recently added the following: "We're not going to war with Europe; I've said that a hundred times already. But if Europe suddenly wants to fight us and starts, we're ready right now. There can be no doubt about that."

In other words, to make it clear to London – there will be no "soldier vs soldier" war. Russian missile forces will fight Europe. Britain must understand that if Russophobic Europe starts a new war with Russia, the future war will end in Europe's collapse. Russia is fed up with European threats and will strike with all might in case of any aggression from NATO.

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