Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a partial mobilisation to reinforce his troops in Ukraine after major combat setbacks this month. In an address to the nation, he said Russia was directly threatened with "disintegration" by the Western powers backing the Kyiv government. For decades the European Union has heavily relied on Russia's oil and gas, generating money and cash for Russia. But Russia is also reliant on revenues from fossil fuel sales, which make up around two fifths of government revenue. But the official said Russia could also initiate actions against Nato members such as cyber and hybrid warfare, and even physical attacks. Despite warnings from the US and its Nato allies that any invasion by Russia of Ukraine would have "severe economic consequences," Moscow's military build-up on the border continues.
- “The British military has a proud tradition of being a voluntary force and there is absolutely no suggestion of a return to conscription,” the MoD said, adding that £50bn was being invested in the military during the current year.
- A number of European countries also rehearse for civil emergencies - with exercises that involve ordinary citizens as well as the military.
- Coupled with warnings of an April cost of living crisis, Russia’s actions will likely “push the average price of petrol over £1.50 in the latest blow to household finances”, he added.
- If we took casualties at the rate the Ukrainians are taking them, the NHS would immediately be overwhelmed, and for years we’ve missed recruitment targets for the Armed Forces.
- Other Western politicians have also played down any threat of nuclear escalation.
- It comes after a senior Nato military official warned that private citizens should prepare for an all-out war with Russia in the next 20 years, which would require wholesale change in their lives.
But because the UK operates in international gas markets, prices will be hit by any drop in global supply. It comes as the forces struggle to retain female personnel amid a sex harassment crisis engulfing the military. All three armed forces are experiencing a recruitment and retention crisis, with the number of fully trained soldiers in the Army set to fall to 72,500. On Tuesday, Grant Shapps, the Defence Secretary, met with the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, where he urged others to join the UK in increasing their aid. In 2022, Gen Sir Patrick used a speech to warn that the UK was facing its “1937 moment” over the war in Ukraine, and said Britain must be ready to “fight and win” to ward off the threat from Russia. Russia wants assurances that Ukraine will never be allowed to join Nato; that Nato members will have no permanent forces or infrastructure based in Ukraine; and for a halt to military exercises near Russia's border.
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With an election looming, the military is hoping politicians make further pledges over defence spending. Labour has avoided making any firm spending commitments, but has criticised cuts to the size of the army and promised to launch a defence review if elected. Before Sanders gave his speech, the MoD issued a clarification, saying it had no plans to advocate a return to national service.
President Biden's virtual meeting with President Putin earlier this week was a start and will be followed up by more talks with other Nato members. The intelligence official described the build-up as a "slow drip" and a "slow ratcheting up of pressure". But be we warriors or wimps, now is the time to start facing up to the prospect, says Ed Arnold, a European Security Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute.
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Hungary has signalled it is ready to compromise on EU funding for Ukraine - after Brussels reportedly prepared to sabotage its economy if it did not comply. Meanwhile, Moscow has claimed its forces have taken control of the village of Tabaivka in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region. "Our country also has various weapons of mass destruction and, in some categories, more modern ones than those possessed by Nato countries," he said.
- It is called self-determination, and perhaps the most important aspect of this principle is that borders cannot be changed by invading armies.
- Mr Putin also urged Ukrainian soldiers in the combat zone in the east of the country to lay down their weapons and return to their homes, warning that Moscow's response would be "instant" if anyone tried to take on Russia.
- They include Mykola Azarov, who served as prime minister under the pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, who was overthrown in 2014.
- Speaking on Thursday US President Joe Biden described the invasion as a premeditated attack without provocation, justification and necessity.
“We have become so comfortable here in Britain that it’s hard to imagine young people fighting, and when I went to Afghanistan a decade ago, I didn’t think the youngsters of would be up to much,” he said. The decline in manufacturing means there are far fewer factories that can be converted to make arms, as happened in the Second World War, when car makers churned out Spitfire parts. And in a globalised world, many industries that are key in wartime rely on imports. Cuts have already seen the size of the British Army fall from more than 100,000 in 2010 to around 73,000 now. Gen Sanders said that within the next three years the British Army needed to be 120,000 strong with the addition of reserves. But he said even that is not enough - so the Army should be designed to expand rapidly "to enable the first echelon, resource the second echelon, and train and equip the citizen army that must follow".
Opposition to Russia's demands
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen accused Mr Putin of "bringing war back to Europe" and warned a raft of "massive" sanctions would be proposed later aimed at Russia's economic base and its "capacity to modernise". Writing on Twitter, he added the US and its allies and partners would impose "severe sanctions on Russia" and continue to provide support to Ukraine and its people. He said on Twitter he would also speak to his fellow G7 leaders and called for an urgent meeting of all Nato leaders as soon as possible. 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.
"Ukraine needs new politicians whose policy will be based solely on the principles of the national interests of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people," he said. Russia has seized Ukrainian territory before, when it annexed Crimea in 2014, after the country overthrew their pro-Moscow president. He added that Russia "needs to live up to the basic tenets of international law and invading another country is not one of those".
- Ukraine is known as the “breadbasket of Europe” and along with Russia makes up 29% of global wheat exports, 19% of corn and 80% of sunflower oil.
- Mr Zelenskyy has called for public officials to disclose their incomes to increase transparency and eliminate corruption as Ukraine tries to meet the stringent requirements for its bid to join the European Union.
- But it boosts the strength of the professional armed forces, which is often relatively small.
Last week Capita, the outsourcing specialist in charge of the Army’s recruitment, said soldiers who have visible tattoos, hay fever or a record of asthma should be allowed to join to solve the crisis. The UK aspires to spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence, and Mr Shapps has said he would like to increase this to 3 per cent, though he failed to set a date last week for the target. The British public will be called up to fight if the UK goes to war because the military is too small, the head of the Army is to warn. While the official said it was hard to say these were all strategically related, it showed that there was an issue on Eastern Europe's eastern flank. "Added to that are the recent border crisis involving thousands of migrants in Belarus, as well as Russia's backing of separatists in the Caucasus and elsewhere," he said.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a partial mobilisation to reinforce his troops in Ukraine after major combat setbacks this month.
- Kyiv’s politicians used to be notoriously fractious – not least because of divisions between the pro and anti-Russian camps.
- The Foreign Office has warned against all travel to Crimea and two areas of eastern Ukraine, Donetsk oblast and Luhansk oblast.
- Several other fossil fuel companies including TotalEnergies, Shell, Equinor, ExxonMobil are also ceasing ventures with Russian majors.
- Gen Sanders said that within the next three years the British Army needed to be 120,000 strong with the addition of reserves.
Russia's ally Belarus will face similar sanctions because of its role in the attack on Ukraine. Boris Johnson said there will be limits on the amount Russians can deposit in UK banks. Prime Minster Boris Johnson says that after 4am UK time he spoke to President Zelensky of Ukraine to offer the support of the UK. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and US President Joe Biden are among the leaders condemning the action. As expected, https://euronewstop.co.uk/how-many-troops-does-ukraine-have.html has been officially registered as a candidate for the Russian presidential election this March. Hungary has now signalled its readiness for a compromise ahead of an emergency EU summit on Thursday.
- It said Nato allies were sending additional ships and fighter jets to eastern Europe to reinforce defences and increase deterrence, in response to the continuing build-up of Russian forces.
- Leaders including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen have both called for an accelerated roll-out of clean energy.
- According to ITV, Boris Johnson yesterday raised the possibility of kicking Russia out of Swift during a meeting of the G7 leaders.
- Meanwhile, other Western defence sources have expressed concern about an increase in signals intelligence and "chatter" being monitored which could signal Russia's preparedness to invade.
- The prime minister has said that the UK is planning to send more weapons and non-lethal kit such as helmets to Ukraine.
- Mr Prystaiko said the question was not whether Russia would invade Ukraine but whether it would be a "full-scale invasion" or something smaller, adding that Russia had already been in Crimea for almost eight years.
"This is a grave moment for the security of Europe. Russia's unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine is putting countless lives at risk," he said. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss summoned Russia's ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin, for the second time this week to ask him to explain the "illegal, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine". Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the UK should brace itself for the "economic pain" the country will experience by imposing sanctions against Russia. Ukrainian protesters gathered outside Downing Street on Thursday afternoon to call for more action from the UK and the international community. The UK's Ministry of Defence said Russian forces based in Belarus were advancing towards Ukraine's capital Kyiv. He said the UK and allies will launch a "massive package" of sanctions to "hobble" Russia's economy.