Ukraine conflict: Russian forces attack from three sides

Nato powers are already promising to build up their own forces in the alliance's eastern flank. After 2,000 anti-tank weapons were delivered last week and 30 British troops arrived to teach Ukrainian forces how to use them, the phrase "God Save the Queen" began trending on Twitter in Ukraine. Some bars and restaurants in Kyiv were offering free drinks to anyone who had a UK passport. Nato member states have increasingly sent Ukraine air defence systems to protect its cities, as well as missile systems, artillery and drones that helped turn the tide against Russia's invasion. Russia's long-time leader was also desperate to prevent Ukraine from entering Nato's orbit, but his attempt to blame  the Western defensive alliance for the war is false.

Watch Boris Johnson call the Ukraine invasion "wanton and reckless aggression" by Russia. US President Joe Biden has ruled out sending troops even to shepherd American citizens out of Ukraine because he said if Russians and Americans end up fighting that would be World War III. The conflict is likely to remain confined to Ukraine and Russia in terms of actual fighting. This is a question lots of you put forward and has been tackled by our security and defence editor Deborah Haynes here...  https://euronewstop.co.uk/how-many-russian-soldiers-have-died.html  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.

What will the UK do if Russia invades Ukraine?

It means that some of the population will have had some military training - and can then be assigned to reserve units should war break out. Talk of wider war in Europe and the potential need for mass mobilisation or a "citizen army" may sound alarming. But the head of the British Army Gen Sir Patrick Sanders is not alone in issuing a national call to prepare for a major conflict on European soil. Europe’s most divisive energy project, Nord Stream 2 bypasses the traditional gas transit nation of Ukraine by running along the bed of the Baltic Sea. On Tuesday, the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, stopped the certification process for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline in response to Russia’s recognition of the two self-proclaimed republics.

• Hours earlier Ukraine's president had asked how a people who lost eight million of its citizens fighting Nazis could support Nazism.
• Russia could also justify a further invasion of Ukraine by recognising the territorial claims of the two separatist governments.
• While Russia's Vladimir Putin insisted for months that there were no plans to invade Ukraine, it's the question everyone is asking as the president declared a "special military operation" in the Donbas region of the country.
• Belarus's authoritarian leader Alexander Lukashenko said his country's military were not involved but could be if needed.
• A succession of Western leaders, including President Joe Biden, have made the complex journey to Kyiv.
• He vowed to protect people from eight years of Ukrainian bullying and genocide - a Russian propaganda claim with no foundation in reality.

Russia’s military is likely to make a formal entrance into the territories soon. Its troops and military vehicles have secretly taken part in the fighting since 2014, but this deployment will probably be much larger. Moscow will now threaten Ukraine with a broader war if it continues to fight against the “separatists”, telling Kyiv that Russia is now obliged by treaty to defend them from attack.

Simple guide to Ukraine crisis in maps

A spate of Ukraine-linked attacks on Russia's oil infrastructure have reportedly led Moscow's energy ministry to propose restricting flights over energy facilities. If the US abandons the military alliance, it will fall to European countries to ensure a Ukrainian victory, Mr OBrien says. European countries have largely outsourced much of their military capacity and thinking on strategy and security to the States through NATO.

• But European nations closer to Russian borders appear to be taking it more seriously.
• Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the UK should brace itself for the "economic pain" the country will experience by imposing sanctions against Russia.
• A lot of the stark warnings we are hearing from our own government should be seen in that light.
• This included £2.5 billion in military support and a historic long-term security agreement.
• Western countries have condemned the threat and are likely to impose sanctions on Moscow this week.
• The US and its allies have prepared a list of Russian elites linked to Vladimir Putin’s inner circle to hit with economic sanctions should Russia invade Ukraine, a senior US administration official has said.

Fighting between Russian, pro-Russian and Ukrainian forces is still ongoing in the region. While both Ukraine and western countries have accused Russia of sending weapons to assist, Moscow has denied intervention. They’ve said that the Russians who joined the fighting volunteered to do so on their own. They’ve also criticised the US and NATO for giving Ukraine weapons, saying that it’s encouraging rebel areas. While Russia's Vladimir Putin insisted for months that there were no plans to invade Ukraine, it's the question everyone is asking as the president declared a "special military operation" in the Donbas region of the country.

How a Russian invasion of Ukraine could spill over into Europe

Corruption has been a major roadblock in Kyiv’s bid to joint the European Union and Nato, with officials from both blocs demanding widespread anti-graft reforms before Kyiv can join them. Russia launched drone and missile attacks targeting civilian and critical infrastructure across wide areas of Ukraine, Kyiv’s air force said on Sunday. Russia's defence ministry has denied attacking Ukrainian cities - saying it was targeting military infrastructure, air defence and air forces with "high-precision weapons".

What was meant to be a quick operation is now a protracted war that Western leaders are determined Ukraine should win. To bolster his depleted forces President Putin announced Russia's first mobilisation since World War Two, although it was partial and limited to some 300,000 reservists. Forced into further retreats from Kharkiv in the north-east and Kherson in the south, that aim remains unchanged, but it has shown little success in achieving it. For years, the Russian president has denied Ukraine its own statehood, writing in a lengthy 2021 essay that "Russians and Ukrainians were one people" dating back to the late 9th Century. He vowed to protect people from eight years of Ukrainian bullying and genocide - a Russian propaganda claim with no foundation in reality. He spoke of preventing Nato from gaining a foothold in Ukraine, then added another objective of ensuring Ukraine's neutral status.

The invasion by land, air and sea began after  a pre-dawn TV address where Russian President Vladimir Putin demanded that Ukraine's military lay down its arms. Russia officially claims that it is an expeditionary oceanographic ship used for marine research, however intelligence sources told DR it is actually a spy vessel. But without political support, the mindset of a country that does not feel like it is about to go to war is unlikely to change. Finland, Nato's newest member and a country which has an 800-mile border with Russia, has wider conscription. Around 80% of the male population complete some form of military service.