Vladimir Putin is planning multiple attacks on Ukraine’s borders as well as a capture of Kiev, according to Western officials.
At least 60 percent of Russia’s ground troops, half of its air force, and a significant proportion of its special forces will take part in an invasion on a massive scale, with a Kremlin-backed regime installed if successful in occupying the capital city, they claimed.
The US State Department has announced that it is relocating its embassy from Kiev to Lviv, in western Ukraine.
It comes as Boris Johnson and Joe Biden warned Russia faces a “protracted crisis” if Ukraine is invaded after a call between the two leaders on Monday night.
The Kremlin has said Russia’s security concerns would be eased significantly if Ukraine renounced its intention to join Nato – Mr Putin’s main demand in his current dispute with Ukraine and Western allies.
Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said Ukraine’s bid to join Nato “remains unchanged” and that “it’s only up to Ukraine and thirty Nato allies to decide on the issue of membership.”
