British expats vow to 'fight like devils' as Russian armoured tanks painted with a letter 'Z'


British expats have vowed to ‘fight like devils’ in Ukraine as columns of Russian armoured tanks have been painted with the letter ‘Z’ as they move towards the border – as the eastern region is rocked by new explosions.  

It is suspected the markings have been allocated for specific roles amid rising tensions over an imminent invasion, with footage showing the letters sprayed on tanks, self-propelled guns, fuel trucks and supply vehicles.

Independent Russian Telegram channel Hunter’s Notes, which closely monitors military movements, said ‘all equipment [marked with “Z”] was seen near Kursk and in the Shebekino region of Belgorod on the border with Ukraine.

Around 200 military vehicles were spotted in the area, as ‘Z’ markings were ‘applied hastily’, with the channel suggesting ‘we are dealing with a certain group of troops that has its own tasks and plans for the near future’. 

It comes as explosions shook eastern Ukraine late on Saturday, after the NATO chief warned the signals coming out of Russia suggest that Moscow is readying for a ‘full-fledged attack’. 

Multiple explosions could be heard late on Saturday and early on Sunday in the centre of the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, according to a Reuters reporter.

Civilians were evacuated from increasingly barraged front line regions, where Kyiv said two of its soldiers had died in an attack yesterday – the first fatalities in the conflict for more than a month.

But one British expat said he was part of a small community ready to help armed resistance volunteers and ‘fight like devils’ in the event of an invasion.

He told the BBC: ‘We are here, we are ready to fight and we will fight like devils, I tell you. There is a small expat community here but we will join with our Ukrainian partners, our Ukrainian friends and Ukrainian family.’  

French President Emmanuel Macron will call Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Sunday to try to avert what Western powers predict will be an imminent invasion.

The Kremlin insists it has no incursion plans, but its test-firing of nuclear-capable missiles Saturday did little to alleviate tensions.

However, British and US intelligence has suggested that Putin has already issued a ‘go’ order to trigger his invasion plan.

It is expected that Russia will follow false flag operations and brushes with Ukrainian military in the Donbas region with an attack led by separatist groups, before Russian troops ‘take a bite out of Ukraine’ or launch a full invasion, The Sunday Times reports.  

A security source added: ‘I would expect a massive opening salvo to try to remove the government in Kyiv. The Russians have positioned cruise missiles to take out the capital.’

Dmitry Polyanskiy, the first deputy permanent representative of Russia to the United Nations, has also accused the West of ‘warmongering” by creating an ‘artificial crisis’ in Ukraine.

He told Sky News’ Trevor Phillips On Sunday programme that Moscow had the ‘right to be concerned’ by the placement of Nato infrastructure and troops ‘near our border’.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for Mr Putin to meet him for talks, stressing the need for a peaceful resolution to the crisis, , adding the Russian president could pick the location for the meeting as he spoke at the Munich Security Conference.  

Military hardware of Russian Army Western Military District tank army units loaded onto a troop train as it returns from recent routine drills to permanent deployment sites

Military hardware of Russian Army Western Military District tank army units loaded onto a troop train as it returns from recent routine drills to permanent deployment sites

Civilians train with members of the Georgian Legion, a paramilitary unit formed mainly by ethnic Georgian volunteers to fight against the Russian forces in 201. It comes as one British expat said a small community would 'fight like devils'

Civilians train with members of the Georgian Legion, a paramilitary unit formed mainly by ethnic Georgian volunteers to fight against the Russian forces in 201. It comes as one British expat said a small community would ‘fight like devils’

Russian tanks pictured leaving the border with Ukraine on Friday following the completion of joint exercises with Belarus as diplomatic tensions continue to mount over fears of an imminent invasion

Russian tanks pictured leaving the border with Ukraine on Friday following the completion of joint exercises with Belarus as diplomatic tensions continue to mount over fears of an imminent invasion

Fears of tensions boiling over were backed up by figures released Saturday by the OSCE, which showed there were more than 1,400 explosions in the rebel held regions of Donetsk and Luhansk on Friday.

The OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission that is deployed in the conflict zone said it had logged 553 explosions in Donetsk and a further 860 in neighbouring Luhansk – adding that it had confirmed one civilian casualty in a government-controlled area of Donetsk.

It put the total number of ceasefire violations on Friday at more than 1,500, compared with 870 the day before, suggesting an upwards trajectory of gunfire and mortars. 

Ukraine’s Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskiy experienced the clashes first-hand Saturday, ducking for cover as mortar shells fell within a few hundred metres of him while he toured the frontline with reporters.

It came as US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Saturday during a visit to Lithuania that Russian troops dotted along Ukraine’s border are ‘uncoiling’ and ‘poised to strike’.

The origin of the explosions over the weekend are not clear, while there was no immediate comment from separatist authorities or from Kyiv. 

Last-ditch diplomatic efforts were underway on Sunday to prevent what Western powers warn a catastrophic European war as French President Emmanuel Macron was to call his Russian counterpart as ceasefire monitors and Ukrainian commanders reported intense shelling in eastern Ukraine.

Macron met Putin on February 7 and has since, along with fellow Western leaders like Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz, been urging his Russian counterpart to pull back from the brink of war.

Sunday’s call, Macron’s office said, represented ‘the last possible and necessary effort to avoid a major conflict in Ukraine’.

In a new suspected stunt, though, the pro-Moscow rebel authority in Donetsk claim to have detained a Ukrainian spy who was said to be confessing to Kyiv’s aims to overrun the Donbas.

Anton Matsanyuk is alleged to have ‘confirmed that Kyiv intends to use all its strike power in the forcible seizure of the Donbas’, one report said.

The alleged saboteur conveniently confirmed a plan touted in recent days by Russia of a Ukrainian plan to invade Donetsk and Luhansk.

This detailed offensive plan, which fell into the hands of Donetsk intelligence officers, was broadcast by Channel One.

He was also linked to a plan to blow up the car belonging to Denis Sinenkov, the head of the people’s militia directorate of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), said Russian TV. The car was blown up in what the West say was a false flag operation on February 18.

Russian TV claimed Matsanyuk had access to classified information on Donetsk leaders, and that it was by ‘sheer luck’ Sinenkov was not inside his vehicle.

‘I was recruited in 2018’, he said as he claimed he was an agent of Ukrainian military intelligence.

Matsanyuk was allegedly forming a ‘sleeping cell’ to stage ‘terrorist attacks’ on orders from Ukraine.

In a claimed confession, he said: ‘When the “H-Hour” comes, they will be instructed to place the caches with improvised explosive devices [IEDs], so that in the future these IEDs will be installed in critical facilities of the DPR; these are bridges, this is a crowd of people, these are railway crossings, also on the routes of the first people in the republic and against military motorcades.’

It comes after Jens Stoltenberg, NATO chief, warned that the risk of a Russian attack is ‘very high’, echoing US warnings that Russian troops dotted along Ukraine’s border are ‘uncoiling’ and ‘poised to strike’.

‘Every indication indicates that Russia is planning a full-fledged attack against Ukraine,’ Stoltenberg told German broadcaster ARD on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. 

‘We all agree that the risk of an attack is very high.’

The United States dominates NATO, and US President Joe Biden on Friday said he was ‘convinced’ Russia was going to invade Ukraine within the week, and have its forces target Ukraine’s capital Kyiv. 

NATO is relocating staff from Kyiv to Lviv, in the west of the country, and to the Belgian capital Brussels, which houses NATO’s headquarters, for their safety, an alliance official said Saturday.

‘The safety of our personnel is paramount, so staff have been relocated to Lviv and Brussels. The NATO offices in Ukraine remain operational,’ the official told AFP, without giving numbers.

Meanwhile, pro-Kremlin channel NTV has revealed that Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov personally ordered a leak damaging to ‘insolent’ Foreign Secretary Liz Truss immediately after their talks in Moscow earlier this month.

He did so because Ms Truss showed herself to be ‘a fool, and so arrogant at the same time’, it was claimed in a new attack on the Tory politician who has become a Moscow target for her forthright views.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss showed herself to be 'a fool, and so arrogant at the same time' during her trip to Moscow, according to Kommersant newspaper journalist Maxim Yusin

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss showed herself to be ‘a fool, and so arrogant at the same time’ during her trip to Moscow, according to Kommersant newspaper journalist Maxim Yusin

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg (pictured) warned that the risk of an attack is 'very high', echoing US warnings that Russian troops dotted along Ukraine's border are 'uncoiling' and 'poised to strike'

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg (pictured) warned that the risk of an attack is ‘very high’, echoing US warnings that Russian troops dotted along Ukraine’s border are ‘uncoiling’ and ‘poised to strike’

Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko oversee joint military drills from the situation room in the Kremlin

Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko oversee joint military drills from the situation room in the Kremlin

Huge flames and smoke fill the air after a gas pipeline was struck in the Lugansk region of Ukraine, amid fears of a Russian invasion 'within days'

Huge flames and smoke fill the air after a gas pipeline was struck in the Lugansk region of Ukraine, amid fears of a Russian invasion ‘within days’ 

A mixed air striking group performs a bomb strike during the Allied Resolve 2022 joint military drills held by Belarusian and Russian troops at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground

A mixed air striking group performs a bomb strike during the Allied Resolve 2022 joint military drills held by Belarusian and Russian troops at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground

Dramatic moment militants open fire on the Ukrainian interior minister and journalists in eastern Ukraine on Saturday

Dramatic moment militants open fire on the Ukrainian interior minister and journalists in eastern Ukraine on Saturday 

Volunteers are seen during mobilisation process in military, at pro-Russian separatist-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine on Saturday

Volunteers are seen during mobilisation process in military, at pro-Russian separatist-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine on Saturday

Local residents of pro-Russian separatist-controlled city of Donetsk are seen during evacuation process in Rostov region on Saturday

Local residents of pro-Russian separatist-controlled city of Donetsk are seen during evacuation process in Rostov region on Saturday

Boris warns Russia is planning ‘the biggest war in Europe since 1945’

The Prime Minister has warned that evidence suggests that Russia is planning ‘the biggest war in Europe since 1945’ and said there are signs the plan has ‘in some senses’ begun.

Speaking to the BBC’s Sophie Raworth, Boris Johnson said intelligence suggests that Russia intends to launch an attack to encircle Kyiv. 

‘All the signs are that the plan has already in some senses begun,’ he said. 

‘People need to understand the sheer cost in human life that could entail.

Mr Johnson’s comments came after he met with Western leaders and Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky in Munich, where he warned an invasion of Ukraine could cause ‘the destruction of a democratic state’.

Kommersant newspaper journalist Maxim Yusin revealed his paper was leaked an apparent blunder by Ms Truss during the talks in confusing two regions in Russia – Voronezh and Rostov – with Ukrainian regions.

He said: ‘This exchange [with Ms Truss] happened in closed negotiations. Were it not for Lavrov [deciding to leak], and sharing it with Kommersant, nobody would know about [her confusing Ukrainian and Russian regions].

‘I have no doubt there were a lot of blunders when Lavrov was talking to [German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock] who is not much smarter than this madam [Truss] – but [Baerbock] didn’t behave as insolently and arrogantly.

‘This is why neither her nor other interlocutors of Lavrov who slipped up became victims of making [their blunders] public. [With Truss] one can’t be a fool, and so arrogant at the same time. It’s either, or.’

In the talks, Lavrov had insisted that Russia had every right to move its armed forces on its own territory.

But Ms Truss repeated that they should be withdrawn and Lavrov countered – according to Kommersant newspaper: ‘Do you recognise the sovereignty of Russia over the Rostov and Voronezh regions?’

She allegedly replied after a short pause: “Britain will never recognise Russian sovereignty over these regions.”

At this, British ambassador Deborah Bronnert was forced to intervene to correct Ms Truss and explain that these were Russian – not Ukrainian – regions, according to the accounts in Moscow.

Meanwhile, Putin put on a show of military strength today with huge new nuclear drills involving ballistic missiles, submarines, tank convoys and ship-based missiles.

In a released photo, the Russian president and Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko – often dubbed the ‘Europe’s last dictator’ – can be seen watching the sabre-rattling drills from a situation room in the Kremlin.

It came as world leaders gathered at the Munich Security Conference in Germany today – where Boris Johnson warned a Russian invasion of Ukraine could cause ‘the destruction of a democratic state’, adding that ‘the shock will echo around the world’.

The Prime Minister said the ‘omens are grim’ from Russia on the possibility of an invasion in the coming days, and that the world could not ‘underestimate the gravity of this moment’.   

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Western powers at the conference to stop their ‘appeasement’ of Russia and warned sanctions will not work on Moscow once the bombing starts – which earned him a standing ovation from world leaders. 

The conference had echoes of the 1938 summit in Munich in which leaders agreed a policy of appeasement against Adolf Hitler’s Germany in an effort to prevent an imminent war.

Mr Zelensky said today: ‘Ukraine has received security guarantees for abandoning the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal. We have no weapons. And no security … 

‘But we have a right – a right to demand a shift from a policy of appeasement to one ensuring security and peace.’

He added: ‘For eight years, Ukraine has been a shield. For eight years, Ukraine has been holding back one of the greatest armies in the world.’ 

Foreign ministers from the G7 group of rich nations said on Saturday they saw no evidence that Russia is reducing military activity near Ukraine’s borders and remain ‘gravely concerned’ about the situation.

‘We call on Russia to choose the path of diplomacy, to de-escalate tensions, to substantively withdraw military forces from the proximity of Ukraine’s borders and to fully abide by international commitments,’ the countries said in a joint statement released by Britain’s foreign ministry.

‘As a first step, we expect Russia to implement the announced reduction of its military activities along Ukraine’s borders. We have seen no evidence of this reduction,’ they added.

Elsewhere, NATO is relocating staff from Kyiv to Lviv, in the west of the country, and to the Belgian capital Brussels, for their safety, an alliance official said Saturday. 

Russian and Belarusian armed forces take part in Allied Determination-2022 military drill in Gomel, Belarus on Saturday

Russian and Belarusian armed forces take part in Allied Determination-2022 military drill in Gomel, Belarus on Saturday

A mixed air striking group performs a bomb strike during the Allied Resolve 2022 joint military drills held by Belarusian and Russian troops at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground

A mixed air striking group performs a bomb strike during the Allied Resolve 2022 joint military drills held by Belarusian and Russian troops at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground

A T-72B tank takes part in the Allied Resolve 2022 joint military drills held by Belarusian and Russian troops at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground

A T-72B tank takes part in the Allied Resolve 2022 joint military drills held by Belarusian and Russian troops at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground

Russian and Belarusian armed forces take part in Allied Determination-2022 military drill in Gomel, Belarus on Saturday. The exercise is being held from February 10 to 20 as part of the second phase of testing response forces of Russia and Belarus

Russian and Belarusian armed forces take part in Allied Determination-2022 military drill in Gomel, Belarus on Saturday. The exercise is being held from February 10 to 20 as part of the second phase of testing response forces of Russia and Belarus

A helicopter is seen flying as Russian and Belarusian armed forces take part in Allied Determination-2022 military drill in Gomel, Belarus on Saturday

A helicopter is seen flying as Russian and Belarusian armed forces take part in Allied Determination-2022 military drill in Gomel, Belarus on Saturday

A view of a gas pipeline hit by a blast in Frunze Street, Lugansk, Ukraine on Saturday night. Several gas pipelines were blown up in the region amid escalating tensions in the east of the country

Close up shows flames bursting from an exploded gas pipeline in Lugansk, Ukraine, as tensions with Russia escalated to new heights on Saturday

Close up shows flames bursting from an exploded gas pipeline in Lugansk, Ukraine, as tensions with Russia escalated to new heights on Saturday 

Military hardware takes part in the Allied Resolve 2022 joint military drills held by Belarusian and Russian troops at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground

Military hardware takes part in the Allied Resolve 2022 joint military drills held by Belarusian and Russian troops at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground

A mixed air striking group performs a bomb strike during the Allied Resolve 2022 joint military drills held by Belarusian and Russian troops at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground

A mixed air striking group performs a bomb strike during the Allied Resolve 2022 joint military drills held by Belarusian and Russian troops at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground

Russian and Belarusian armed forces take part in Allied Determination-2022 military drill in Gomel, Belarus on Saturday

Russian and Belarusian armed forces take part in Allied Determination-2022 military drill in Gomel, Belarus on Saturday

The military exercise is being held from February 10 to 20 as part of the second phase of testing response forces of the Union State of Russia and Belarus

The military exercise is being held from February 10 to 20 as part of the second phase of testing response forces of the Union State of Russia and Belarus

Boris Johnson has warned an invasion of Ukraine could cause 'the destruction of a democratic state' and 'the shock will echo around the world'. Pictured: The Prime Minister meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

 Boris Johnson has warned an invasion of Ukraine could cause ‘the destruction of a democratic state’ and ‘the shock will echo around the world’. Pictured: The Prime Minister meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Ukrainian soldier rests a rocket launcher on his shoulder during a military drill at an unknown location in Ukraine on Saturday - as tensions with Russia reach boiling point

Ukrainian soldier rests a rocket launcher on his shoulder during a military drill at an unknown location in Ukraine on Saturday – as tensions with Russia reach boiling point

A tank travels through mud during a Ukrainian military drill on Saturday as the country braces for a potential Russian invasion

A tank travels through mud during a Ukrainian military drill on Saturday as the country braces for a potential Russian invasion 

Reservists take part in a tactical training and individual combat skills conducted by the Territorial Defense of the Capital in Kyiv on Saturday

Reservists take part in a tactical training and individual combat skills conducted by the Territorial Defense of the Capital in Kyiv on Saturday

Reservists take part in a tactical training and individual combat skills conducted by the Territorial Defense of the Capital in Kyiv on Saturday

Reservists take part in a tactical training and individual combat skills conducted by the Territorial Defense of the Capital in Kyiv on Saturday

Residents of the Lugansk People's Republic get on a bus at the Lugansk bus terminal before evacuation to Russia's Rostov-on-Don Region late on Friday night

Residents of the Lugansk People’s Republic get on a bus at the Lugansk bus terminal before evacuation to Russia’s Rostov-on-Don Region late on Friday night 

Ukrainian troops patrol at the frontline outside the town of Novoluhanske, eastern Ukraine, on February 19, 2022

Ukrainian troops patrol at the frontline outside the town of Novoluhanske, eastern Ukraine, on February 19, 2022

A Ukrainian serviceman speaks to his comrade walking along a trench on a position at the line of separation between Ukraine-held territory and rebel-held territory near Zolote

A Ukrainian serviceman speaks to his comrade walking along a trench on a position at the line of separation between Ukraine-held territory and rebel-held territory near Zolote

Ukrainian troops patrol the town of Novoluhanske, eastern Ukraine, on February 19 - after two soldiers were reportedly killed Saturday by Russian-backed separatists

Ukrainian troops patrol the town of Novoluhanske, eastern Ukraine, on February 19 – after two soldiers were reportedly killed Saturday by Russian-backed separatists

A Ukrainian serviceman walks in a yard of a destroyed house on a position at the line of separation between Ukraine-held territory and rebel-held territory near Zolote

A Ukrainian serviceman walks in a yard of a destroyed house on a position at the line of separation between Ukraine-held territory and rebel-held territory near Zolote

Reservists take part in tactical training and individual combat skills conducted by the Territorial Defense of the Capital in Kyiv

Reservists take part in tactical training and individual combat skills conducted by the Territorial Defense of the Capital in Kyiv

A man is seen lying down holding a gun as reservists take part in tactical training and individual combat skills conducted by the Territorial Defense of the Capital in Kyiv

A man is seen lying down holding a gun as reservists take part in tactical training and individual combat skills conducted by the Territorial Defense of the Capital in Kyiv

Ukraine is not a member of NATO, and the alliance does not have any forces there, but since the late 1990s it has maintained two offices in Kyiv – a NATO Liaison Office and a NATO Information and Documentation Centre.

The liaison office’s job is keep up dialogue between NATO and Ukraine’s government while encouraging a democratic transformation of Ukraine’s defence and security sector.

According to NATO’s website, it consisted of a civilian head leading a mixed team of NATO military and civilian personnel. The web page, last updated in 2016, said there were a total of 16 staff. 

The NATO Information and Documentation Centre’s number of personnel was not disclosed. Its job was to inform the Ukrainian public about NATO and support Ukrainian institutions in their communications.

Stoltenberg has previously said that the alliance will not deploy any forces into Ukraine to defend it from any Russian aggression.

But NATO members have sent forces to neighbouring countries which are alliance members, and Stoltenberg has said NATO member countries will vigorously react to any Russian action in those territories, under its collective defence pact. 

It comes as the Russians are continuing their ‘false flag’ operations in Eastern Ukraine, seemingly designed to provoke conflict. 

Thousands of Ukrainian refugees are starting to stream into Russia today after Vladimir Putin’s allies ordered a mass evacuation of two separatist republics as part of a suspected ‘false flag’ operation to provide the pretext for an invasion.

Up to 700,000 civilians are being evacuated from the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk after rebel leaders yesterday claimed Ukraine was about to attack the areas.

Hours later, a car bomb rocked Donetsk in an alleged ‘assassination attempt’ of a top Putin-allied official, which Western intelligence agencies believe was faked as part of the ‘false flag’ deception.

Evacuees from the Donetsk People's Republic arrive Saturday at a refugee camp organised at the Kotlostroitel children's health centre in the village of Krasny Desant, Neklinovsky, Russia

Evacuees from the Donetsk People’s Republic arrive Saturday at a refugee camp organised at the Kotlostroitel children’s health centre in the village of Krasny Desant, Neklinovsky, Russia

Photos released Saturday show Ukrainian paratroopers taking part in exercises in an undisclosed location in Ukraine

Photos released Saturday show Ukrainian paratroopers taking part in exercises in an undisclosed location in Ukraine 

Ukrainian troops patrol at the frontline outside the town of Novoluhanske, eastern Ukraine, on February 19, 2022

Ukrainian troops patrol at the frontline outside the town of Novoluhanske, eastern Ukraine, on February 19, 2022

Ukrainian Soldiers in camouflaged gear huddle in front of an armoured vehicle during a military drill in Ukraine

Ukrainian Soldiers in camouflaged gear huddle in front of an armoured vehicle during a military drill in Ukraine

A militant of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) reads out names of men registered at a military mobilisation point in a school in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, on Saturday

A militant of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) reads out names of men registered at a military mobilisation point in a school in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, on Saturday

Reservists queue at a mobilisation centre for citizens of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine on Saturday

Reservists queue at a mobilisation centre for citizens of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine on Saturday 

Civilians take part in a military training course conducted by a Christian Territorial Defence Unit on February 19, 2022 in Kiev, Ukraine

Civilians take part in a military training course conducted by a Christian Territorial Defence Unit on February 19, 2022 in Kiev, Ukraine

Using wooden guns modelled on Kalashnikovs, residents in Kiev receive military training in the event of Russian invasion

Using wooden guns modelled on Kalashnikovs, residents in Kiev receive military training in the event of Russian invasion

Russia's Acting Emergencies Minister Alexander Chupriyan (right) visits a tent camp set up by the Russian Emergencies Ministry at the Matveyev Kurgan border checkpoint for evacuees from the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine

Russia’s Acting Emergencies Minister Alexander Chupriyan (right) visits a tent camp set up by the Russian Emergencies Ministry at the Matveyev Kurgan border checkpoint for evacuees from the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine 

A woman evacuated from the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine kisses a child in a tent camp set up by the Russian Emergencies Ministry at the Matveyev Kurgan border checkpoint

A woman evacuated from the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic in eastern Ukraine kisses a child in a tent camp set up by the Russian Emergencies Ministry at the Matveyev Kurgan border checkpoint

Buses carrying evacuees from Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, arrive at a refugee camp organised at the Kotlostroitel children's health centre in the village of Krasny Desant, Neklinovsky District, Russia

Buses carrying evacuees from Donetsk, eastern Ukraine, arrive at a refugee camp organised at the Kotlostroitel children’s health centre in the village of Krasny Desant, Neklinovsky District, Russia

Russian Emergencies Ministry employees set up a tent camp for people evacuated from Donetsk at the Matveyev Kurgan border checkpoint

Russian Emergencies Ministry employees set up a tent camp for people evacuated from Donetsk at the Matveyev Kurgan border checkpoint

Russian Emergencies Ministry employees transport a bunk bed as they set up a tent camp for people evacuated from the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, at the Matveyev Kurgan border checkpoint

Russian Emergencies Ministry employees transport a bunk bed as they set up a tent camp for people evacuated from the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine, at the Matveyev Kurgan border checkpoint

Civilians of all ages receive military training at an old industrial plant in the Desnianskyi district, outside Kiev, on Saturday

Civilians of all ages receive military training at an old industrial plant in the Desnianskyi district, outside Kiev, on Saturday

A Ukrainian soldier takes aim while training residents in Kiev in the event of a Russian invasion

A Ukrainian soldier takes aim while training residents in Kiev in the event of a Russian invasion

Ukrainian soldiers in camouflaged gear take a break while training civilians in how to defend against a Russian invasion, near Kiev on Saturday

Ukrainian soldiers in camouflaged gear take a break while training civilians in how to defend against a Russian invasion, near Kiev on Saturday 

A Ukrainian soldier peers through binoculars while helping to train civilians in Desnianskyi, just outside Kiev on Saturday

A Ukrainian soldier peers through binoculars while helping to train civilians in Desnianskyi, just outside Kiev on Saturday

Ukrainian soldiers don balaclavas while training citizens in a district just outside Kiev on Saturday

Ukrainian soldiers don balaclavas while training citizens in a district just outside Kiev on Saturday

Civilians receive training from the Ukrainian military at an old industrial plant in the Desnianskyi district outside Kiev on Saturday

Civilians receive training from the Ukrainian military at an old industrial plant in the Desnianskyi district outside Kiev on Saturday 

A rebel soldier from the self-declared Donetsk Peoples Republic watches on as residents are evacuated and shipped off to Russia on Saturday

A rebel soldier from the self-declared Donetsk Peoples Republic watches on as residents are evacuated and shipped off to Russia on Saturday 

A Russia-bound train with citizens of the Lugansk People's Republic is seen before its departure from a station in Lugansk, east Ukraine. The train is the first to depart for Russia from the Lugansk People's Republic since 2014

A Russia-bound train with citizens of the Lugansk People’s Republic is seen before its departure from a station in Lugansk, east Ukraine. The train is the first to depart for Russia from the Lugansk People’s Republic since 2014

A woman waves from a train carriage to be evacuated to Russia, at the railway station in Debaltseve, the territory controlled by pro-Russian militants in eastern Ukraine

A woman waves from a train carriage to be evacuated to Russia, at the railway station in Debaltseve, the territory controlled by pro-Russian militants in eastern Ukraine

Residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic wait for a train at the Donetsk-2 railway station as they evacuate to Russia's Rostov-on-Don Region on Saturday

Residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic wait for a train at the Donetsk-2 railway station as they evacuate to Russia’s Rostov-on-Don Region on Saturday

A man helps a small child put on a glove as they wait for a train at the Donetsk-2 railway station as they evacuate to Russia's Rostov-on-Don Region on Saturday

A man helps a small child put on a glove as they wait for a train at the Donetsk-2 railway station as they evacuate to Russia’s Rostov-on-Don Region on Saturday

Women take part in a military exercise for civilians conducted by veterans of the Ukrainian National Guard Azov battalion in Kharkiv, Ukraine on February 19, 2022

Women take part in a military exercise for civilians conducted by veterans of the Ukrainian National Guard Azov battalion in Kharkiv, Ukraine on February 19, 2022

Later two explosions at a ‘gas pipeline’ rocked the separatist city of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine in another suspected false flag attack. 

Elsewhere, the Russian leader is personally overseeing nuclear exercises involving ‘strategic forces’ which will include practice launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles and cruise missiles. 

The Kremlin nuclear drills also involved Mig fighter bombers armed with hypersonic missiles patrolling over the Mediterranean from their bases in Syria. 

Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko is joining Putin in the situation room in the Kremlin to watch over the strategic drills.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today’s drills ‘should not cause anyone concern’ and said Russia had informed the proper channels.

Russia holds huge strategic drills every year but today’s manoeuvres include the Black Sea Fleet, based on the Crimean Peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.

Meanwhile, top Ukrainian military officials came under a shelling attack during a tour of the front of the separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine and were forced to flee to a bomb shelter before leaving the area.

A Yars intercontinental ballistic missile is launched during Russian training drills as part of the strategic exercises today

A Yars intercontinental ballistic missile is launched during Russian training drills as part of the strategic exercises today

A Ukrainian serviceman digs a trench on a positions at the line of separation between Ukraine-held territory and rebel-held territory near Zolote

A Ukrainian serviceman digs a trench on a positions at the line of separation between Ukraine-held territory and rebel-held territory near Zolote

Tanks move during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022

Tanks move during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022

Smoke and flame rise over a field during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022

Smoke and flame rise over a field during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022

A handout still image taken from handout video made available by the Russian Defence ministry press-service shows launch of a cruise missile of the operational-tactical missile system 'Iskander' from at the Kapustin Yar training ground, Russia, 19 February 2022

A handout still image taken from handout video made available by the Russian Defence ministry press-service shows launch of a cruise missile of the operational-tactical missile system ‘Iskander’ from at the Kapustin Yar training ground, Russia, 19 February 2022

Two Tu-22M3 bombers escorted by Su-35 fighters of the Russian air force fly during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills

Two Tu-22M3 bombers escorted by Su-35 fighters of the Russian air force fly during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills

A Russian nuclear submarine sails in an unknown location during exercises by nuclear forces involving the launch of ballistic missiles, in this still image taken from video released February 19, 2022

A Russian nuclear submarine sails in an unknown location during exercises by nuclear forces involving the launch of ballistic missiles, in this still image taken from video released February 19, 2022

Russian guided missile frigate Admiral Gorshkov fires the Tsirkon hypersonic missile during the exercises by nuclear forces in an unknown location

Russian guided missile frigate Admiral Gorshkov fires the Tsirkon hypersonic missile during the exercises by nuclear forces in an unknown location

A Russian Tu-95MS air-launched cruise missile is tested as part of a planned exercise of strategic deterrence forces

A Russian Tu-95MS air-launched cruise missile is tested as part of a planned exercise of strategic deterrence forces

Russian and Belarusian multi-role combat helicopters Mi-35M attend the joint operational exercise of the armed forces

Russian and Belarusian multi-role combat helicopters Mi-35M attend the joint operational exercise of the armed forces

A resident learns how to point and shoot with a wooden stick as she takes part in a military exercise for civilians conducted by Christian Territorial Defence in Ukraine

A resident learns how to point and shoot with a wooden stick as she takes part in a military exercise for civilians conducted by Christian Territorial Defence in Ukraine

Russian and Belarusian multi-role combat helicopters Mi-35M attend the joint operational exercise of the armed forces of Belarus and Russia

Russian and Belarusian multi-role combat helicopters Mi-35M attend the joint operational exercise of the armed forces of Belarus and Russia

Military helicopters fly over tanks and armored vehicles moving during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022

Military helicopters fly over tanks and armored vehicles moving during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022

False flag suspicions were also fueled by time stamps on the videos announcing the evacuations, that show they were taped by rebel leaders two days before being released

False flag suspicions were also fueled by time stamps on the videos announcing the evacuations, that show they were taped by rebel leaders two days before being released

Up to 700,00 civilians are being evacuated from the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk after rebel leaders yesterday claimed Ukraine was about to attack the areas. A woman says goodbye to her father through a bus window in Donetsk

Up to 700,00 civilians are being evacuated from the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk after rebel leaders yesterday claimed Ukraine was about to attack the areas. A woman says goodbye to her father through a bus window in Donetsk

Local residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic are placed in tents in the refugee camp in Rostov on Don, Rostov region, Russia

Local residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic are placed in tents in the refugee camp in Rostov on Don, Rostov region, Russia

Russian and Belarusian servicemen conduct joint drills at a firing range in the Brest region of Belarus

Russian and Belarusian servicemen conduct joint drills at a firing range in the Brest region of Belarus

Tank army units loaded onto a troop train return from recent routine drills to permanent deployment sites

Tank army units loaded onto a troop train return from recent routine drills to permanent deployment sites

Fighter jets fly during the joint military drills of the armed forces of Russia and Belarus at a firing range in the Brest Region

Fighter jets fly during the joint military drills of the armed forces of Russia and Belarus at a firing range in the Brest Region

Local residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic wait in a bus to enter Russia at the customs post 'Matveev Kurgan' in Rostov region

Local residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic wait in a bus to enter Russia at the customs post ‘Matveev Kurgan’ in Rostov region

The head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic Denis Pushilin announced a general mobilisation

The head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic Denis Pushilin announced a general mobilisation

Boris Johnson warns Russian invasion will ‘echo around the world’ 

Boris Johnson has warned an invasion of Ukraine could cause ‘the destruction of a democratic state’ and ‘the shock will echo around the world’.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference today, the Prime Minister said the ‘omens are grim’ from Russia on the possibility of an invasion in the coming days, and that the world could not ‘underestimate the gravity of this moment’.

Boris jetted to the annual summit in Bavaria to make a plea to avoid ‘unnecessary bloodshed’ by diplomatic means if the West speaks with ‘one voice’.

In a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mr Johnson said: ‘If Ukraine is invaded and if Ukraine is overwhelmed, we will witness the destruction of a democratic state, a country that has been free for a generation, with a proud history of elections.

‘And every time Western ministers have visited Kyiv, we have reassured the people of Ukraine and their leaders that we stand four-square behind their sovereignty and independence.

‘How hollow, how meaningless, how insulting those words would seem if at the very moment when their sovereignty and independence is imperilled we simply look away.

‘If Ukraine is invaded, the shock will echo around the world, and those echoes will be heard in East Asia they will be heard in Taiwan.’

Russia has also sent a MIG-31K and a Tu-22M3 bomber over the Mediterranean in another show of force amid the rising tensions. 

The warplane is deployed with the new ultra high speed Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles.

The 24-foot-long, one-ton Kinzhal – or Dagger – can carry conventional or nuclear warheads, and Russia boasts it has no match among Western defences.

The hypersonic Kinzhal has a range of 1,250 miles and could pummel Ukrainian troops and defences without flying close to the country. 

Russia is believed to have around 20 Kinzhal-compatible MiG-31Ks in total.

Video footage has also emerged which graphically demonstrates the sheer intensity of the bombardment that Russian-backed forces have unleashed on Ukraine in the last two days.

In night-time footage taken from the port city of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov, just a few miles from the front line, shells could be heard raining down almost incessantly on Ukrainian positions for five hours.

The distant flashes from the exploding 122mm and 152mm heavy artillery and mortars on the video posted on censor.net were reminiscent of WW1 trench warfare.

One resident of the city posted on Facebook: ‘No-one in Mariupol is sleeping tonight.’

According to the Ukrainian government there were a total of 66 ceasefire violations by the pro-Russian rebels overnight, involving hundreds of shells.

In a separate incident at a front-line checkpoint at Schastia, which ironically means ‘Happiness’ in Ukrainian, more incoming shells blasted onto a car park in daytime CCTV footage provided by the Ukraine government.

Shelling also damaged a pumping station in Donetsk Oblast, threatening water supply to 46 towns and villages in the Ukrainian-controlled parts of the region, Ukraine’s authorities reported. 

Amid the new drills today, US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin said the troops on the border are ‘uncoiling’ and ‘poised to strike’ during a visit to Lithuania. 

This photo taken from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022, shows a MiG-31K fighter of the Russian air force carrying a Kinzhal hypersonic cruise missile parked at an air field during a military drills

This photo taken from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022, shows a MiG-31K fighter of the Russian air force carrying a Kinzhal hypersonic cruise missile parked at an air field during a military drills

An airman checks a Russian Air Force MiG-31 fighter jet prior a flight with Kinzhal hypersonic missile during a drill in an unknown location in Russia, in this still image taken from video released February 19, 2022

An airman checks a Russian Air Force MiG-31 fighter jet prior a flight with Kinzhal hypersonic missile during a drill in an unknown location in Russia, in this still image taken from video released February 19, 2022

A Belarusian Army military helicopter flies over tanks and armored vehicles moving during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022

A Belarusian Army military helicopter flies over tanks and armored vehicles moving during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022

Military jets drop bombs flying over a field during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022

Military jets drop bombs flying over a field during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022

Smoke rise over a field during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022

Smoke rise over a field during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022

A military helicopter flies next to a flock of birds in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, Crimea

A military helicopter flies next to a flock of birds in the Black Sea port of Sevastopol, Crimea

Tanks move during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022

Tanks move during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022

A Russian paratrooper takes part in a force inspection at the Obuz-Lesnovsky firing range in Belarus today

A Russian paratrooper takes part in a force inspection at the Obuz-Lesnovsky firing range in Belarus today

Tanks and armoured vehicles move during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground

Tanks and armoured vehicles move during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground 

Russian Tu-95MS bomber aircraft flies during the Grom-2022 Strategic Deterrence Force exercise amid threat of an invasion

Russian Tu-95MS bomber aircraft flies during the Grom-2022 Strategic Deterrence Force exercise amid threat of an invasion

The Russian leader is personally overseeing the nuclear exercises involving 'strategic forces' which will include practice launches

The Russian leader is personally overseeing the nuclear exercises involving ‘strategic forces’ which will include practice launches

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today's drills 'should not cause anyone concern' and said Russia had informed the proper channels

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today’s drills ‘should not cause anyone concern’ and said Russia had informed the proper channels

Civilians train with members of the Georgian Legion, a paramilitary unit formed mainly by ethnic Georgian volunteers, to fight against the Russian aggression in Ukraine

Civilians train with members of the Georgian Legion, a paramilitary unit formed mainly by ethnic Georgian volunteers, to fight against the Russian aggression in Ukraine

Separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine have ordered a full military mobilisation amid growing fears in the West that Russia is planning to invade the neighbouring country

Separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine have ordered a full military mobilisation amid growing fears in the West that Russia is planning to invade the neighbouring country

‘They are uncoiling and are now poised to strike,’ he said, adding that troops were ‘moving into the right kinds of positions to be able to conduct an attack’. 

Meanwhile Boris Johnson warned an invasion of Ukraine could cause ‘the destruction of a democratic state’ and ‘the shock will echo around the world’.

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference today, the Prime Minister said the ‘omens are grim’ from Russia on the possibility of an invasion in the coming days, and that the world could not ‘underestimate the gravity of this moment’.

Mr Boris jetted to the annual summit in Bavaria to make a plea to avoid ‘unnecessary bloodshed’ by diplomatic means if the West speaks with ‘one voice’.

In a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Mr Johnson said: ‘If Ukraine is invaded and if Ukraine is overwhelmed, we will witness the destruction of a democratic state, a country that has been free for a generation, with a proud history of elections.

Local residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic arrive to the refugee camp in Rostov on Don, Rostov region

Local residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic arrive to the refugee camp in Rostov on Don, Rostov region

People sit in a bus for their evacuation in Donetsk on February amid fears of an imminent invasion with troops massed on the border

People sit in a bus for their evacuation in Donetsk on February amid fears of an imminent invasion with troops massed on the border

Thousands of Ukrainian refugees are streaming into Russia today after Putin's allies ordered a mass evacuation

Thousands of Ukrainian refugees are streaming into Russia today after Putin’s allies ordered a mass evacuation

It comes as thousands of Ukrainian refugees are streaming into Russia today after Putin’s allies ordered a mass evacuation of two separatist republics as part of a suspected ‘false flag’ operation to provide the pretext for an invasion. 

Up to 700,00 civilians are being evacuated from the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk after rebel leaders yesterday claimed Ukraine was about to attack the areas. 

Hours later a car bomb rocked Donetsk in an alleged ‘assassination attempt’ of a top Putin-allied official, which Western intelligence agencies believe was faked as part of the ‘false flag’ deception. 

Later two explosions at a ‘gas pipeline’ rocked the separatist city of Luhansk in eastern Ukraine in another suspected false flag attack. 

Last night, US President said he is ‘convinced’ the Russian premier has made up his mind to launch an invasion after amassing almost 200,000 troops on the border. 

In a televised address from the White House, Mr Biden said he has ‘reason to believe’ it will occur in the ‘coming days’ and will include an assault on the capital Kyiv.

After weeks of saying the US was not sure if Mr Putin had made the final decision to launch a widespread invasion, Mr Biden said that assessment had changed.

‘As of this moment I’m convinced he’s made the decision,’ Mr Biden said. ‘We have reason to believe that.’

He cited the United States’ ‘significant intelligence capability’ for the assessment.

The Ukrainian civilian refugees will be housed in tent cities provided by Putin’s government in Russia where they will receive a gift of $132. 

False flag suspicions were also fueled by time stamps on the videos announcing the evacuations, that show they were taped by rebel leaders two days before being released.  

Huge convoys of buses were laid on the for the refugees, after the evacuation was announced in video addresses by the leaders of the breakaway Republics which have also ordered a general mobilisation of all men to the army.

Multiple explosions could be heard on Saturday morning in the north of the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, a Reuters witness said. The origin was not immediately clear. Ukraine said earlier that one of its soldiers had been killed. 

Up to 700,00 civilians are being evacuated from the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk after rebel leaders yesterday claimed Ukraine was about to attack the areas. A woman says goodbye to her father through a bus window in Donetsk

Up to 700,00 civilians are being evacuated from the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk after rebel leaders yesterday claimed Ukraine was about to attack the areas. A woman says goodbye to her father through a bus window in Donetsk

False flag suspicions were also fueled by time stamps on the videos announcing the evacuations, that show they were taped by rebel leaders two days before being released

False flag suspicions were also fueled by time stamps on the videos announcing the evacuations, that show they were taped by rebel leaders two days before being released

False flag suspicions were also fueled by time stamps on the videos announcing the evacuations, that show they were taped by rebel leaders two days before being released.

False flag suspicions were also fueled by time stamps on the videos announcing the evacuations, that show they were taped by rebel leaders two days before being released.

A boy looks through a bus window waiting to be evacuated to Russia, in Donetsk, the territory controlled by pro-Russian militants, eastern Ukraine

A boy looks through a bus window waiting to be evacuated to Russia, in Donetsk, the territory controlled by pro-Russian militants, eastern Ukraine

Denis Pushilin, the leader of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, has called on all men ‘who are in the reserves to come to military conscription offices’ following a mass evacuation of women and children in Ukraine’s breakaway provinces to southern Russia.

Leonid Pasechnik, the leader of the Luhansk separatist region in Ukraine, ordered a general mobilisation shortly afterwards.

Pushilin claimed his region’s forces had prevented attacks he said were planned by Ukraine, and that the Ukrainian army had continued manoeuvres.

Separatist authorities on Friday announced plans to evacuate around 700,000 people, citing fears of an imminent attack by Ukrainian forces – an accusation Kiev flatly denied.

Less than 7,000 people had been evacuated from Donetsk as of Saturday morning, the local emergencies ministry said.

The Ukrainian military said it had recorded 12 ceasefire violations by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine in the morning after 66 cases in the previous 24 hours. Separatist authorities also reported what they said was shelling by Ukrainian forces of several villages on Saturday. Both sides regularly trade blame for ceasefire violations. 

Kiev has repeatedly denied any plans to regain control of separatist-held areas using force, including the Crimean peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014. More than 14,000 people have been killed in fighting between Ukraine’s army and Russia’s proxies. 

It comes as Ukraine’s army claimed today a soldier had been killed in the separatist east and Volodymyr Zelensky is heading to the Munich Security Conference, despite President Joe Biden’s warning not to leave Ukraine through fear of an imminent invasion. 

Yesterday Biden said he is now ‘convinced’ Vladimir Putin has decided to invade Ukraine and assault the capital.

After weeks of saying that Washington was not sure if Putin had made the final decision, the US President said that his judgment had changed, citing American intelligence. He reiterated that the assault could occur in the ‘coming days’. 

His comments followed a day of rising violence that included a humanitarian convoy hit by shelling and a car bombing in the eastern city of Donetsk.

Huge convoys of buses were laid on the for the refugees, after the evacuation was announced in video addresses by the leaders of the breakaway Republics

Huge convoys of buses were laid on the for the refugees, after the evacuation was announced in video addresses by the leaders of the breakaway Republics

An explosion was heard in rebel-held Luhansk, one of the main cities in Ukraine's breakaway region of People's Republic of Luhansk, according to reports

An explosion was heard in rebel-held Luhansk, one of the main cities in Ukraine’s breakaway region of People’s Republic of Luhansk, according to reports

In this photo made from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on February 19, 2022, a Russian marine takes his position during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus

In this photo made from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on February 19, 2022, a Russian marine takes his position during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus

People board a bus during the evacuation of residents to Russia, in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, February 19, 2022

People board a bus during the evacuation of residents to Russia, in the rebel-controlled city of Donetsk, February 19, 2022

A car bomb sparked 'false flag' fears after it exploded near the headquarters of the pro-Russian Donetsk People's Republic. Just hours later a fireball was seen lighting up the sky after an international oil pipeline running through the key rebel-held city of Luhansk blew up. The blast rocked the Druzhba pipeline which runs from Russia to various points in eastern and central Europe. On Thursday a shell blew a hole through the wall of kindergarten in Stanytsia Luhanska

A car bomb sparked ‘false flag’ fears after it exploded near the headquarters of the pro-Russian Donetsk People’s Republic. Just hours later a fireball was seen lighting up the sky after an international oil pipeline running through the key rebel-held city of Luhansk blew up. The blast rocked the Druzhba pipeline which runs from Russia to various points in eastern and central Europe. On Thursday a shell blew a hole through the wall of kindergarten in Stanytsia Luhanska

People look at a memorial dedicated to late Euromaidan activists along the Alley of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes on February 18, 2022 in Kiev, Ukraine

People look at a memorial dedicated to late Euromaidan activists along the Alley of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes on February 18, 2022 in Kiev, Ukraine

US President Joe Biden delivers a national update on the situation at the Russia-Ukraine border at the White House in Washington, DC, February 18, 2022

US President Joe Biden delivers a national update on the situation at the Russia-Ukraine border at the White House in Washington, DC, February 18, 2022

The West must show unity against Putin amid Ukraine war scare, Boris Johnson insists 

Boris Johnson has called for western leaders to unite against Vladimir Putin and show the Russian leader he will pay a ‘high price’ if he sends his troops into Ukraine.

The Prime Minister will head to the Munich Security Conference on Saturday to make a plea for ‘unnecessary bloodshed’ to be avoided by pursuing a diplomatic route to prevent a conflict in eastern Europe.

Only hours before Biden’s statement, the UK Foreign Office announced it had decided to ‘temporarily’ move its diplomats out of Kyiv, relocating them to the west of the country.

The department said British embassy officials will relocate to Lviv, situated near the border with Poland.

With estimates that 150,000 Russian troops are posted around Ukraine’s borders, Johnson has previously called the situation ‘very grim’.

But in comments made before embarking on his trip to Germany, the Prime Minister said ‘diplomacy can still prevail’ if the West puts on a united front in terms of agreeing punishing sanctions to slap on Moscow.

‘There is still a chance to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, but it will require an overwhelming display of western solidarity beyond anything we have seen in recent history,’ he said.

‘Allies need to speak with one voice to stress to President Putin the high price he will pay for any further Russian invasion of Ukraine. Diplomacy can still prevail. That is the message I will take to Munich today as we redouble our efforts to prevent a grave miscalculation which would devastate Ukraine, Russia and the rest of Europe.’

The Bavarian summit will take place against the backdrop of Putin continuing to parade Russia’s military might.

The Russian defence ministry has announced it will be carrying out fresh exercises on Saturday involving its strategic nuclear forces.

Putin will observe the drills involving multiple practice launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles and cruise missiles in a demonstration that Russia remains a nuclear superpower.

The Russian leader has insisted that the large-scale military exercises with Belarusian forces close to the Ukrainian border are ‘purely defensive’ and do not represent a threat to any other country.

There are concerns among western allies that the Kremlin could use ‘disinformation’ and a possible ‘false flag’ operation to justify an offensive, particularly with growing activity in separatist-held areas of Ukraine.

Pro-Russian rebels began evacuating civilians from the conflict zone with an announcement that appeared to be part of Moscow’s efforts to paint Ukraine as the aggressor instead.

One of Vladimir Putin’s closest allies, parliament speaker Vyacheslav Volodin vowed that Russia would ‘defend’ its compatriots in the Donbas, hinting at military intervention.

He said: ‘Russia doesn’t want war.

‘Our president Vladimir Putin repeatedly said this earlier and is saying this these days.’

But ‘if danger arises to the lives of Russians and compatriots living in the DPR and LPR, our country will defend them.’

This came as pro-Moscow rebels claimed a water-pumping station in Vasilievka was hit by Ukrainian fire.

Ukraine has denied any such attacks. 

Meanwhile, the Kremlin has announced massive nuclear drills to flex its military muscle, and Putin pledged to protect Russia’s national interests against what it sees as encroaching Western threats.

Biden reiterated his threat of crushing economic and diplomatic sanctions against Russia if it does invade, and pressed Putin to reconsider. He said the US and its Western allies were more united than ever to ensure Russia pays a steep price for any invasion.

He said: ‘We’re calling out Russia’s plans. Not because we want a conflict, but because we are doing everything in our power to remove any reason Russia may give to justify invading Ukraine.

‘If Russia pursues its plans, it will be responsible for a catastrophic and needless war of choice.’

Earlier on Friday, Biden said he believed Putin had already made up his mind to invade Ukraine. 

He said: ‘As of this moment, I’m convinced he’s made the decision. We have reason to believe that.’

He said it was based on Washington’s ‘significant intelligence capability.’ But he insisted Putin could change course if he wanted to.

‘Russia can still choose diplomacy,’ he said. ‘It is not too late to de-escalate and return to the negotiating table.’

As further indication that the Russians are preparing for a major military push, a US defence official said an estimated 40 per cent to 50 per cent of the ground forces deployed in the vicinity of the Ukrainian border have moved into attack positions closer to the border.

That shift has been under way for about a week, other officials have said, and does not necessarily mean Putin has decided to begin an invasion.

The official also said the number of Russian ground units known as battalion tactical groups in the border area had grown to as many as 125, up from 83 two weeks ago. Each group has 750 to 1,000 soldiers.

Lines of communication remain open. The US and Russian defence chiefs spoke on Friday, and US secretary of state Antony Blinken and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov agreed to meet next week.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy will attend the Munich Security Conference on Saturday and return home later the same day, a statement from his office said.

Zelenskiy’s trip had been under scrutiny due to concern in Western countries that Russia is poised to launch a military offensive against Ukraine and could do so while the president is out of the country.

Boris Johnson has called for western leaders to unite against Putin and show the Russian leader he will pay a ‘high price’ if he sends his troops into Ukraine.

The Prime Minister will head to the Munich Security Conference on Saturday to make a plea for ‘unnecessary bloodshed’ to be avoided by pursuing a diplomatic route to prevent a conflict in eastern Europe.

Only hours before Biden’s statement, the UK Foreign Office announced it had decided to ‘temporarily’ move its diplomats out of Kyiv, relocating them to the west of the country. The department said British embassy officials will relocate to Lviv, situated near the border with Poland.

With estimates that 150,000 Russian troops are posted around Ukraine’s borders, Johnson has previously called the situation ‘very grim’.

But in comments made before embarking on his trip to Germany, the Prime Minister said ‘diplomacy can still prevail’ if the West puts on a united front in terms of agreeing punishing sanctions to slap on Moscow.

‘There is still a chance to avoid unnecessary bloodshed, but it will require an overwhelming display of western solidarity beyond anything we have seen in recent history,’ he said.

‘Allies need to speak with one voice to stress to President Putin the high price he will pay for any further Russian invasion of Ukraine. Diplomacy can still prevail. That is the message I will take to Munich today as we redouble our efforts to prevent a grave miscalculation which would devastate Ukraine, Russia and the rest of Europe.’

The Bavarian summit will take place against the backdrop of Putin continuing to parade Russia’s military might.

The Russian defence ministry has announced it will be carrying out fresh exercises on Saturday involving its strategic nuclear forces.

Putin will observe the drills involving multiple practice launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles and cruise missiles in a demonstration that Russia remains a nuclear superpower.

The Russian leader has insisted that the large-scale military exercises with Belarusian forces close to the Ukrainian border are ‘purely defensive’ and do not represent a threat to any other country. 

The blast, which was first reported by Russian state media, is thought to be the start of Putin's long-predicted false flag operation used to justify an invasion of the country

The blast, which was first reported by Russian state media, is thought to be the start of Putin’s long-predicted false flag operation used to justify an invasion of the country

The destroyed UAZ military jeep belonged to Denis Sinenkov, head of regional security in Donetsk, in what Russian state media suggested was an assassination attempt

 The destroyed UAZ military jeep belonged to Denis Sinenkov, head of regional security in Donetsk, in what Russian state media suggested was an assassination attempt

Russia's President Vladimir Putin gestures as he speaks during a press conference with his Belarus counterpart, following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on February 18, 2022

Russia’s President Vladimir Putin gestures as he speaks during a press conference with his Belarus counterpart, following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on February 18, 2022

An hour before the car bomb went off, separatist leaders in Donetsk and Luhansk had ordered an evacuation of civilians because of what they said was the threat of Ukrainian invasion (pictured, children are evacuated from an orphanage)

An hour before the car bomb went off, separatist leaders in Donetsk and Luhansk had ordered an evacuation of civilians because of what they said was the threat of Ukrainian invasion (pictured, children are evacuated from an orphanage)

Children are pictured after being loaded on to a bus for evacuation out of the city of Donetsk, in separatist-occupied eastern Ukraine, after leaders spread rumours that Kiev's troops were about to attack

Children are pictured after being loaded on to a bus for evacuation out of the city of Donetsk, in separatist-occupied eastern Ukraine, after leaders spread rumours that Kiev’s troops were about to attack

There are concerns among western allies that the Kremlin could use disinformation and a possible ‘false flag’ operation to justify an offensive, particularly with growing activity in separatist-held areas of Ukraine.

Putin will hold a telephone call with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday as tensions spike in the crisis over Ukraine, Moscow said. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the call was ‘on the president’s schedule’.

With an estimated 150,000 Russian troops now posted around Ukraine’s borders, the long-simmering separatist conflict could provide the spark for a broader attack.

Fears of such escalation intensified amid Friday’s violence. A bombing struck a car outside the main government building in the rebel-held city of Donetsk. The head of the separatist forces, Denis Sinenkov, said the car was his, the Interfax news agency reported. There were no reports of casualties and no independent confirmation of the circumstances of the blast.

Shelling and shooting are common along the line that separates Ukrainian forces and the rebels, but targeted violence is unusual in rebel-held cities.

Adding to the tensions, two explosions shook the rebel-controlled city of Luhansk early on Saturday. The Luhansk Information Centre said one of the blasts was in a natural gas main and cited witnesses as saying the other was at a vehicle service station.

There was no immediate word on injuries or a cause. Luhansk officials blamed a gas main explosion earlier in the week on sabotage.

Monitors from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe reported more than 600 explosions in the war-torn east of Ukraine on Friday.

Separatists in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions that form Ukraine’s industrial heartland known as the Donbas announced they were evacuating civilians to Russia.

Pushilin said women, children and the elderly would go first, and that Russia has prepared facilities for them. He alleged in a video statement that Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky was going to order an imminent offensive in the area.

Metadata from two videos posted by the separatists announcing the evacuation show that the files were created two days ago.

US authorities have alleged that the Kremlin’s disinformation campaign could include staged, pre-recorded videos.

Authorities began moving children from an orphanage in Donetsk, and other residents boarded buses for Russia. Long lines formed at gas stations as more people prepared to leave on their own.

Putin has ordered the government to offer a payment of 10,000 rubles (about £95) to each evacuee, equivalent to about half of an average monthly salary in the war-ravaged Donbas region.

By Saturday morning, more than 6,600 residents of the rebel-controlled areas were evacuated to Russia, according to separatist officials, who have announced plans to evacuate hundreds of thousands of people.

The explosions and the announced evacuations were in line with US warnings of so-called false flag attacks that Russia could use to justify an invasion.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the threat to global security is ‘more complex and probably higher’ than during the Cold War.

He told a security conference in Munich that a small mistake or miscommunication between major powers could have catastrophic consequences.

Russia announced this week that it was pulling back forces from vast military exercises, but US officials said they saw no sign of a pullback and instead observed more troops moving toward the border with Ukraine.   

Ukraine’s president condemns Western ‘appeasement’ of Putin in blistering address in MUNICH and vows to protect the country ‘with or without support’ from Europe – before leaders give him standing ovation with Russia expected to invade in days

By Jack Newman for Mailonline 

Ukraine’s president has called on the West to stop their ‘appeasement’ of Russia and warned sanctions will not work on Moscow once the bombing starts, to a standing ovation from world leaders.

Volodymyr Zelensky told a security forum in Munich that his country deserves stronger international support after acting as a buffer against Russian expansion.

The conference had echoes of the 1938 summit in Munich in which leaders agreed a policy of appeasement against Adolf Hitler’s Germany in an effort to prevent an imminent war.

Zelensky said today: ‘Ukraine has received security guarantees for abandoning the world’s third-largest nuclear arsenal. We have no weapons. And no security … 

‘But we have a right – a right to demand a shift from a policy of appeasement to one ensuring security and peace.’

He added: ‘For eight years, Ukraine has been a shield. For eight years, Ukraine has been holding back one of the greatest armies in the world.’

Ukraine's president has called on the West to stop their 'appeasement' of Russia and warned sanctions will not work on Moscow once the bombing starts

Ukraine’s president has called on the West to stop their ‘appeasement’ of Russia and warned sanctions will not work on Moscow once the bombing starts

Local residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic wait in a bus to enter Russia at the customs post 'Matveev Kurgan' in Rostov region

Local residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic wait in a bus to enter Russia at the customs post ‘Matveev Kurgan’ in Rostov region

The Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces, the military reserve of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, take part in a military drill outside Kyiv

The Ukrainian Territorial Defence Forces, the military reserve of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, take part in a military drill outside Kyiv

What happened at the 1938 Munich conference?

The Munich Agreement was signed by Neville Chamberlain, Benito Mussolini, Adolf Hitler and Edouard Daladier in 1938.

It was designed to stop Germany invading Czechoslovakia. 

The agreement by the leaders agreed the annexation of Czechoslovakia’s Sudetenland, occupied mainly by German speaking people. 

Upon his return home, Chamberlain declared the agreement had secured ‘peace in our time’. 

However a year later Hitler invaded Poland, sparking the beginning of the Second World War.

Zelensky also said he wants a ‘clear’ timeframe for when Ukraine can join the NATO alliance.

‘What can we do? We can continue forcefully supporting Ukraine and its defences. Present… clear, feasible timeframes for membership of the Alliance,’ he said.

The president also called for a meeting with Putin in order to avoid any conflict.

He said: ‘I do not know what the Russian president wants. For this reason, I propose that we meet.’ 

Zelensky was warned not to travel to Munich today through fear that Russia may launch an attack in his absence. 

Putin is putting on a show of military strength with new nuclear drills as he sends a MIG armed with a hypersonic missile over the Mediterranean.

The Russian leader is personally overseeing the nuclear exercises involving ‘strategic forces’ which will include practice launches of intercontinental ballistic missiles and cruise missiles.

Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko is joining Putin in the situation room in the Kremlin to watch over the strategic drills.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said today’s drills ‘should not cause anyone concern’ and said Russia had informed the proper channels.

Russia holds huge strategic drills every year but today’s manoeuvres include the Black Sea Fleet, based on the Crimean Peninsula annexed by Russia in 2014.

Tanks move during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022

Tanks move during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022

Smoke and flame rise over a field during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022

Smoke and flame rise over a field during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022

Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko oversee joint military drills from the situation room in the Kremlin

Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko oversee joint military drills from the situation room in the Kremlin

A handout still image taken from handout video made available by the Russian Defence ministry press-service shows launch of a cruise missile of the operational-tactical missile system 'Iskander' from at the Kapustin Yar training ground, Russia, 19 February 2022

A handout still image taken from handout video made available by the Russian Defence ministry press-service shows launch of a cruise missile of the operational-tactical missile system ‘Iskander’ from at the Kapustin Yar training ground, Russia, 19 February 2022

A Russian nuclear submarine sails in an unknown location during exercises by nuclear forces involving the launch of ballistic missiles, in this still image taken from video released February 19, 2022

A Russian nuclear submarine sails in an unknown location during exercises by nuclear forces involving the launch of ballistic missiles, in this still image taken from video released February 19, 2022

Military helicopters fly over tanks and armored vehicles moving during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022

Military helicopters fly over tanks and armored vehicles moving during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground in Belarus, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022

Russian and Belarusian servicemen conduct joint drills at a firing range in the Brest region of Belarus

Russian and Belarusian servicemen conduct joint drills at a firing range in the Brest region of Belarus

Tank army units loaded onto a troop train return from recent routine drills to permanent deployment sites

Tank army units loaded onto a troop train return from recent routine drills to permanent deployment sites

Local residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic wait in a bus to enter Russia at the customs post 'Matveev Kurgan' in Rostov region

Local residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic wait in a bus to enter Russia at the customs post ‘Matveev Kurgan’ in Rostov region

The head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic Denis Pushilin announced a general mobilisation

The head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic Denis Pushilin announced a general mobilisation

Russia has also sent a MIG-31K and a Tu-22M3 bomber over the Mediterranean in another show of force amid the rising tensions. 

The warplane is deployed with the new ultra high speed Kinzhal air-launched ballistic missiles.

The 24-foot-long, one-ton Kinzhal – or Dagger – can carry conventional or nuclear warheads, and Russia boasts it has no match among Western defences.

The hypersonic Kinzhal has a range of 1,250 miles and could pummel Ukrainian troops and defences without flying close to the country. 

Russia is believed to have around 20 Kinzhal-compatible MiG-31Ks in total.

Leave a Reply