New satellite images show a miles-long convoy of Russian tanks dispersing into nearby forests and with artillery moving into firing positions, in a possible sign Vladimir Putin’s forces are planning a fresh assault on Kyiv.
On Friday, local authorities said Russian strikes had hit near airports in the western Ukrainian cities of Ivano-Frankiivsk and Lutsk, far from Russia’s main attack targets elsewhere in the country.
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said it was still “highly unlikely” Russia had successfully achieved its invasion plan but warned it would likely “re-posture” for a renewed offensive.
At least two million people have now fled the capital amid fears of a major and bloody siege – around half its population, according to the city’s mayor Vitali Klitschko.
In an overnight address, President Volodymyr Zelensky ridiculed Russian claims that Ukraine was preparing to use chemical weapons and called Russia a “terrorist state”.
