Vladimir Putin’s “brutality” in Ukraine “is going to get worse” as he becomes more desperate in his attempts to take over the country, Ben Wallace has warned.
The defence secretary said Russia’s attacks on its neighbours will become more “indiscriminate” because the war is not going according to plan.
But Wallace once again rejected calls for a no fly zone above Ukraine, saying it would lead to British fighter pilots having to shoot down Russian jets and a Europe-wide war.
The cabinet minister was speaking as the conflict enters its seventh day, with Russia still having failed to capture any of Ukraine's major cities.
Appearing on Sky News, he said Russia had sustained "significant casualties - far more than they had planned" in the war so far.
He said: "What they are therefore doing is trying to switch tactics, so what you're seeing now is those heavy bombardments at night. They won't come into the cities as much.
"They will I'm afraid carpet bomb cities indiscriminately and in some cases they will fly at night rather than daytime because they get shot down in the daytime, and slowly but surely they will try to surround the cities and then either bypass them or bombard them.
"That is the brutality that I'm afraid we are witnessing and it is going to get worse. I warned before that the Russian doctrine is to go harder and tougher and more indiscriminate and that's why we saw the tragic strike on the cemetery in the centre of Kyiv is exactly what we should expect more of."
Asked why the UK does not support a no fly zone, as has been called for by many people in Ukraine as the only way to deter further Russian attacks, Wallace made clear that the government will not change its stance opposing such a move.
He said: "The reason is simple but it is very difficult to take that course, but it is the course we have to take, which is if we have a no fly zone we have to enforce a no fly zone.
"That would involve British fighter jets shooting down Russian fighter jets, probably over Ukraine. That would lead to article 5 triggering of Nato and Nato is a self-defence pact. All 30 countries would come to each other's aid.
"The triggering of that article 5 would lead to a war against Russia across the whole of Europe.
"That is not a position that the members of Nato are prepared to go."