But the House speaker, Mike Johnson, a Louisiana Republican, said the legislation would be “dead on arrival in the House” in its current form, according to a letter to Republican lawmakers. Downing Street has ruled out any move towards conscription, saying the army service will remain voluntary. EU leaders are expected to meet again on 1 February to suss out the financial package. Opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who has been serving prison time since 2021 after leading street protests and starting a nationwide opposition movement, was recently moved to a penal colony in Russia's far north.
Only aircraft deployed to protect energy facilities, or those carrying top Russian or foreign officials, will be allowed to fly with special permission in the designated zones, according to the Vedomosti daily newspaper. For years, since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the belief was that Western armed forces would only ever have to take part in what was known as 'expeditionary' wars. These are conflicts involving a strong military force going into a situation in which it has superiority, so it can win easily - for example the Gulf and Iraq wars and conflicts in Sierra Leone and Kosovo. Russian-backed rebels control areas of eastern Ukraine near Russia's borders in a conflict which has cost an estimated 14,000 lives. Officials said there had been no specific threats to British diplomats but about half of the staff working in Kyiv will return to the UK. The US has ordered relatives of its embassy staff to leave, saying an invasion could come "at any time".
‘Your country needs you’
While analysts say a direct conflict between NATO and Russia is unlikely, it is possible - particularly in the Baltic states, or Finland. NATO and the Ministry of Defence will be studying the battlefields of Ukraine closely to work out what it would mean if British forces ever became involved in a fight with the Russians. Asked about the UK's accusations that Russian President Vladimir Putin was plotting to install a pro-Moscow figure to lead Ukraine's government, Ms Truss declined to elaborate on the source of the intelligence.
That, though, is partly because Ukraine had already learnt from previous Russian cyberattacks over the past decade. But if Ukraine’s experience is anything to go by, the threat posed by a common enemy could have a unifying effect. Kyiv’ https://euronewstop.co.uk/where-has-ukraine-been-bombed.html used to be notoriously fractious – not least because of divisions between the pro and anti-Russian camps. Even during the London Blitz in 1941, nearly 5,000 looting cases came before the Old Bailey.
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Russia’s defence ministry has claimed its radar detected the launch of two Ukrainian missiles when a Russian Il-76 transport plane crashed on Wednesday. The statement did not confirm or deny the downing of the Il-76 on Wednesday. But it followed the (now retracted) Ukrainskaya Pravda report, which claimed that the military had shot down an Il-76 jet which it believed to be carrying a shipment of S-300 anti-aircraft missiles en route to Belgorod this morning.
In 1994, the UK - along with the US - signed a memorandum at an international conference in Budapest promising "to respect the independence and sovereignty and the existing borders of Ukraine". They also promised to provide assistance to Ukraine if it "should become a victim of an act of aggression". But his remark lives on as a challenge to all policymakers thinking about whether to engage diplomatically - and even militarily - in a potential conflict between two foreign countries. An additional battlegroup of 850 troops has also begun deploying to Estonia over the past week, and 350 Royal Marines have been sent to Poland to reinforce the light cavalry squadron already stationed there. The UK therefore faces price rises on three fronts as a result of the invasion – oil, gas and food – at a time when inflation is already high and many are facing a cost-of-living crisis. The country is one of the world’s largest grain suppliers, meaning conflict is likely to cause supply problems, especially in Europe.
Army chief says people of UK are ‘prewar generation’ who must be ready to fight Russia
Such public arguments over money have led him into conflict with the MoD, amid reports of clashes with the chief of defence staff, Adm Sir Tony Radakin. Some allies believe Sanders should have been promoted to replace Radakin, but he was asked to step down early after serving two of three years as army chief. Sanders has previously complained publicly and privately about defence cuts. A year ago, in an attempt to ensure politicians plugged the gap with future spending, he warned that gifts of weapons to Ukraine would “leave us temporarily weaker”.
Phillips P OBrien, professor of strategic studies at the University of St Andrews, wrote in an analysis piece that the potential return of Donald Trump to the White House could see the US "neuter" the Western military alliance. Russia has seized Ukrainian territory before, when it annexed Crimea in 2014, following fierce protests in Ukraine that toppled the country's pro-Russian president. Russian forces seized control of Crimea before the territory voted to join Russia in a referendum the West and Ukraine deemed illegal. Mr Putin has accused the West of ignoring Russia's demands to prevent Ukraine from joining the western Nato military alliance and offer Moscow security guarantees. He chaired an emergency Cobra meeting earlier and will give a televised statement later on the UK's response to Russia's "unprovoked attack". The prospect of further UK sanctions against Russia comes a day after the prime minister announced that five Russian banks had had their assets frozen and three Russian billionaires would have travel bans imposed.
Meanwhile, Moscow has claimed its forces have taken control of the village of Tabaivka in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region. Downing Street said the leaders agreed that if a further Russian incursion took place, "allies must enact swift retributive responses including an unprecedented package of sanctions". Russia has increased its missile attacks from Belgorod lately, especially on Kharkiv where it has killed and injured dozens of civilians. Transport planes like that one that crashed on Wednesday morning deliver the weapons that are then launched across the border.
- As expected, Vladimir Putin has been officially registered as a candidate for the Russian presidential election this March.
- “I put forward the UK’s point of view on the current situation as well as seeking to deter Russia from an invasion of Ukraine,” she said.
- The authorities were investigating the cause of the crash, and a special military commission was on the way to the crash site, the defence ministry said.
Assuming both sides weren't annihilated by nuclear weapons, they assumed a Soviet invasion would lead to a war in western Europe, and trained and equipped UK forces would need to counter that threat. Last week, another senior Nato military chief said countries needed to be on alert "and expect the unexpected". Adm Rob Bauer, who heads the alliance's military committee, said the public needed to change their mindset for an era "when anything can happen at any time". It's promising to deploy British forces to eastern European members of the Nato military alliance if Russian troops cross Ukraine's borders. The Western defence official said that if Russia chose to carry out an attack now it could do so. But he said Russian forces massed on the border were still missing some crucial elements - such as full logistical support, ammunition stocks, field hospitals and blood banks.
- “There are battles taking place near this locality,” ground forces spokesman Volodymyr Fityo said, admitting that the Russian army was “trying to advance in all directions”.
- Russia did not want to occupy Ukraine, he said, but would demilitarise and "de-Nazify" the country.
- Conservative backbencher Alicia Kearns tweeted on Thursday that the Government should consider cyber attacks on Russia if Mr Putin does not withdraw troops.
- Meanwhile, Moscow has claimed its forces have taken control of the village of Tabaivka in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region.
- Earlier, the prime minister said on Twitter that the invasion was a "catastrophe for our continent".
Russia showed with the destruction of Yevgeniy Prigozhin’s aircraft last year that it won’t balk at the deaths of its own innocent pilots when necessary. There is scepticism in Kyiv about Russia’s claims that the military aircraft that crashed on Wednesday morning was carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war, writes Luke Harding. Earlier this month, prime minister Rishi Sunak announced a further £2.5b in aid to Ukraine. The authorities were investigating the cause of the crash, and a special military commission was on the way to the crash site, the defence ministry said. Six crew and three people accompanying them were also onboard, Russia’s defence ministry said.
On Tuesday night President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia had launched 500 missiles and drones against Ukraine in just five days. Ukraine has long been calling for long-range missiles, but the US and other countries have been unwilling to supply them in case strikes inside Russia lead to escalation. It has sent military equipment, weapons as well as ammunition as well as anti-tank drones to Ukraine, however, Germany’s has refused to send “lethal weapons” to Ukraine. It comes as the UK has said that tougher sanctions against Russia in the event of an invasion of Ukraine will mean “a much broader range of individuals and businesses can be sanctioned due to their significance to the Kremlin”. Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace said these troops would be used “first and foremost” to deal with any humanitarian crisis. “I put forward the UK’s point of view on the current situation as well as seeking to deter Russia from an invasion of Ukraine,” she said.