The UK has pulled out it's Embassy staff in Kiev as fears over a Russian invasion grow amid NATO sending in reinforcements to the region.
Sky news reports how the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office insists the Kyiv embassy "remains open and will continue to carry out essential work".
It comes after the UK this morning REFUSED to rule out sending more troops to Ukraine as the threat of a Russian invasion of the Eastern European nation intensifies.
Speaking hours after it was claimed the Russian president plans to install a 'puppet government' in Kiev, Dominic Raab said there will be "severe consequences" for the Kremlin.
"The Foreign Secretary and Foreign Office have come out making clear what the designs of the Russian government are," he told Sky's Trevor Phillips.
"We don't go into things like sources, but it's very clear there's a concerted military build-up and a threat to the democracy and integrity of Ukraine. Putin and Moscow have a habit of trying to take advantage of opportunities when the world's attention is elsewhere."
Read our Russia vs Ukraine live blog below for the latest updates....
Louis Allwood 11 minutes ago
Ukraine rushes to ‘defend Chernobyl’ (Continued...)
The catastrophe in Chernobyl claimed 31 lives as well as leaving thousands of people and animals exposed to potentially fatal radiation.
Soldiers deployed to the area have to wear devices around their necks to monitor radiation exposure.
It comes as Ukraine has been bracing itself for war with one general promising its forces would "tear apart Russians with their bare hands".
The country is determined repel any possible attack with their forces already being equipped with anti-tank weapons by the UK
Louis Allwood 24 minutes ago
Ukraine rushes to ‘defend Chernobyl’
The site around the former nuclear plant is still the most radioactive place on Earth and the area was abandoned after it exploded in 1986.
But as fears mount of a Russian invasion, Ukraine has now moved troops to the desolate region on its northern border with Belarus.
In recent weeks it has been reported that Belarus, which is an ally of Russia, may be one of the routes the Kremlin’s forces may use to invade Ukraine.
Russia and Belarus are due to hold joint military exercises in February, Ukraine has now deployed thousands of troops to the area around Chernobyl, the New York Times reports.
The town of Pripyat, next to where Chernobyl stood and where its workers lived, is now a ghost town.
Chernobyl itself is partially closed with workers who maintain the huge ‘sarcophagus’ built over the damaged reactor rotating in and out.
“We don’t know what will kill us first, the virus, radiation or war,” one worker, Oleksei Prishepa, told the paper.
Louis Allwood 41 minutes ago
Joe Biden sends tensions in Ukraine soaring
Sleepy Joe dropped a gigantic clanger by suggesting Russia might not face devastating sanctions if it only made a “minor incursion”.
The jaw-dropping error — in his first press conference in 78 days — led Ukraine to fear Biden had cut a secret deal with Vladimir Putin.
And the ruthless Russian President last night looked almost certain to launch a limited attack — always his preferred option.
Biden, 79, said: “Russia will be held accountable if it invades. And it depends on what it does.
"It’s one thing if it’s a minor incursion and we (Nato) end up having to fight about what to do and what to not do.
"But if they actually do what they’re capable of, it is going to be a disaster for Russia if they further invade Ukraine.”
The comment revealed America’s hand in a political poker game which could escalate into World War Three.
Louis Allwood 57 minutes ago
Ukrainian troops ready to ‘tear apart Russians with bare hands’
Soldiers are reportedly getting ready to "tear apart Russians with their bare hands" as the country is preparing to resist an invasion.
It comes amid mounting fears Russia could invade in days as Vladimir Putin has massed 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine.
But Ukraine is determined to repel any possible attack with their forces already being equipped with anti-tank weapons by the UK designed to take kill Russian battle tanks and equip Ukrainian guerrillas who will carry on the fight.
Speaking from a military base in Popasna, Lieutenant-General Oleksandr Pavliuk told the Times: “We have about half a million people who went through a war in this country in which they have either lost someone or something.
"Half a million who have lost the blood of a relative, lost their homes or lost their friends, and they are ready to tear apart Russians with their bare hands.”
He added: “If our intelligence manages to predict the direction of the main Russian hit, after the first big losses they won’t go further.
“Putin realises that after heavy casualties his army may stop by itself. You cannot trust intuition in this. It is about cold calculation.”
Louis Allwood Today, 11:00
Putin ‘plans to install Russian stooge to run Ukraine’
Britain took the unusual step of naming former MP Yevhen Murayev as a potential Kremlin candidate to take over in Kiev.
The Foreign Office also identified four other Ukrainian allies who maintain links with President Putin’s intelligence chiefs.
The revelation came as Western allies sounded fresh warnings that Russia would pay a heavy price if the 100,000 troops massed on the border stage any incursion.
Demonstrators against Russian aggression formed a human chain in Kiev for Unity Day, which marks the anniversary of Ukraine’s 1919 unification.
The Russian navy is set to encircle Europe with war games alongside China and Iran as the drumbeats of war grow.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said: “This information shines a light on the extent of Russian activity designed to subvert Ukraine and is an insight into Kremlin thinking.
“Russia must de-escalate, end its campaigns for aggression and disinformation, and pursue diplomacy.
"Any Russian military incursion into Ukraine would be a massive strategic mistake with severe costs.”
Louis Allwood Today, 10:45
What happened last year? (Continued...)
New footage shows Russia’s Black Sea fleet on the move - while Ukraine also conducted military exercises off Crimea.
A veteran independent Russian defence analyst has claimed Putin may have ordered the mobilisation of "more than half a million" troops - involving forces from the Pacific to the Baltic.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has called for membership of NATO in quick time to protect it from Russian bullying.
Russia's defence minister Sergei Shoigu claimed that NATO was planning to station 40,000 troops and 15,000 pieces of military equipment in the region - which NATO vehemently denies - and Russia is simply responding.
Louis Allwood Today, 10:42
What happened last year?
Putin has moved tens of thousands of troops and heavy military equipment to the border with Ukraine.
The latest on-the-ground videos appear to show heavy armaments on the move in Krasnodar region and naval vessels on the Don River as the Ukraine crisis becomes increasingly hostile.
Russia is also known to be moving landing ships from the Caspian Sea to the Black Sea for the first time since the end of the Soviet era.
Louis Allwood Today, 10:39
Timeline (Continued...) 2015
In February a ceasefire was announced when Germany and France brokered a new Donbass deal at talks in Belarus.
2018
In May President Putin officially announced he was opening a bridge linking Russia to Crimea.
Ukraine called these actions illegal.
2019
Russia and Ukraine exchanged prisoners who were captured in the wake of Moscow's seizure of Crimea and intervention in the Donbass.
Louis Allwood Today, 10:36
Timeline of events 2014
In February 77 protestors were killed by security forces in Kyiv.
President Yanukovych fled to Russia and the oposition took over.
In March russian forced took over Crimea - causing the biggest East vs West showdown since the Cold War.
As a result Russia was hit by harsh sanctions.
In April pro-Russian armed groups seized parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions on Russian border.
In July 298 people were killed when pro-Russian forces shot down a Malaysian airliner over eastern Ukraine conflict zone.
In September NATO confirmed that Russian troops had entered eastern Ukraine with heavy military quipment.
Louis Allwood Today, 10:33
Will Russia invade Ukraine? (Continued...)
On January 23, Vadym Prystaiko told LBC: "We believe that the risk is extremely high."
He added that 100,000 troops are currently "not enough" but Vladimir Putin is is "gradually building up" with the helicopters and S-400 systems.
House of Commons Defence Committee chairman Tobias Ellwood MP also described the potential invasion as "inevitable and imminent" after Kiev blamed Russia for a massive cyber attack earlier in January.
The attack left much of the country without heat, light and access to cash, which is feared to act as a prelude to an invasion.
Mr Ellwood wrote on Twitter: "RUSSIA is on the brink of an invasion. And once again will try to re-draw the map of Eastern Europe. History will ask - why did we not learn from history?"
Putin is believed to want to reclaim many territories lost at the fall of the Soviet Union.
Louis Allwood Today, 10:30
Will Russia invade Ukraine?
Russia says it has no plans to attack Ukraine, and armed forces chief Valery Gerasimov even denounced reports of an impending invasion as a lie.
However, the US says Russia has offered no explanation for the troops posted close to Ukraine.
Western intelligence also suggests a Russian incursion or invasion could happen some time in early 2022.
The Ukrainian ambassador to the UK said the risk of invasion is "extremely likely".
Louis Allwood Today, 10:26
What will Boris do?
PM Boris Johnson will ramp up pressure on Russia this week as he calls for Europe and the US to step up a gear in their response.
He will despatch Cabinet ministers across the -continent following the UK’s delivery of lethal aid to Ukraine, including 2,000 missiles and a specialist team of military trainers.
A Downing Street source said: “The PM’s view is that the situation in Ukraine is the biggest test to the unity and resolve of the West and the Nato alliance in decades.”
Louis Allwood Today, 10:23
‘Extremely high’ risk of Russia invading Ukraine
The risk of Russia invading Ukraine is "extremely high" the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK has said.
The warning comes as 100,000 troops are currently massed on the border, prompting war fears.
Vadym Prystaiko told LBC: "We believe that the risk is extremely high."
He added that 100,000 troops are currently "not enough" but Vladimir Putin is is "gradually building up" with the helicopters and S-400 systems.
He continued: "Either [Putin] is still playing this game, threatening us more and more, not just us the European NATO as well, gradually building up forces.
"At the moment it is not enough to topple us, we will fight, but who knows what will come back."
He also pledged his country will fight to the death with Russia but admitted his nation would not last long in such a military conflict.
Louis Allwood Today, 10:20
Nato bolsters its "deterrence"
Biden does not want US boots on the ground in Ukraine itself, fearing a repeat of his disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan, reports the New York Times.
Denmark and Spain are also sending planes and ships and France has put troops on standby as Nato bolsters its "deterrence".
Russia has denied any plans for military action in Ukraine despite satellite photos of troops and tanks inside Belarus, within striking distance of Kiev.
They are in addition to forces estimated to total 100,000 to Ukraine's east and south.
And the families of soldiers moved thousands of miles from Russia's far east have been told they will be away for nine months.
Louis Allwood Today, 10:17
Brits & Americans to be withdrawn from Ukraine
Vladimir Putin has around 100,000 troops and heavy armour stationed near the border after talks to avert a bloody conflict failed to reach a breakthrough.
The UK Foreign Office said today it was pulling some diplomats from its embassy in Kiev "in response to growing threat from Russia".
Around half of staff are expected to leave with their families, reports the BBC.
The Foreign Office added: "The British Embassy remains open and will continue to carry out essential work."
It comes after the US ordered diplomats' families to leave Ukraine, saying an invasion could come "at any time".
"There are reports Russia is planning significant military action against Ukraine," an advisory from the State Department said.
Non-essential US embassy staff have also been told they can leave, and other US citizens have been urged to do the same.
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