Ukraine news – live: Putin amassing 500,000 troops for major new offensive, says minister - The Independent

Nearly 500,000 troops apt successful large caller Russian offensive, says Ukrainian defence minister

Vladimir Putin is apt preparing a large caller violative and could onslaught Ukraine astir the one-year day of the warfare connected 24 February, Ukrainian defence curate Oleksii Reznikov said successful his latest remarks.

Russia has amassed astir 500,000 troops for the attack, Ukrainian quality indicates.

Mr Reznikov said that Russia has galore much caller troops than conscionable their officially announced number of 300,000 from the archetypal question of mobilisation successful September.

“Officially they announced 300,000 but erstwhile we spot the troops astatine the borders, according to our assessments it is overmuch more,” helium told the French BFM network.

Moscow could “try something” to people the invasion’s archetypal twelvemonth connected 24 February, the curate added, suggesting a grim caller section successful the continuing war.

However, helium added that Ukrainian commanders and forces volition determination to “stabilise the beforehand and hole for a counter-offensive” up of the anticipated Russian advance.

Mr Reznikov said helium has “faith that the twelvemonth 2023 tin beryllium the twelvemonth of subject victory,” and that the Ukrainian forces “cannot suffer the initiative” they person gained successful caller months.

Arpan Rai2 February 2023 03:41

ICYMI: Russia wouldn’t person invaded Ukraine without Brexit, suggests apical MEP

Katy Clifton2 February 2023 05:01

Zelenskiy says conflict getting 'severe’ successful east

Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the concern connected the frontlines successful eastbound Ukraine “has go tougher” successful a sombre appraisal successful his nightly address.

“There is simply a definite summation successful the occupiers’ violative actions astatine the beforehand – successful the eastbound of our country. The concern is becoming adjacent much severe,” helium said.

Mr Zelensky added: “We person steadfastly gone done each this time, from February to February. The force is trying to summation astatine slightest thing present to amusement connected the day of the penetration that Russia allegedly has immoderate chances.

“In specified circumstances, we each request to beryllium particularly united, particularly focused connected the nationalist interest, and, arsenic a result, particularly resilient. I americium assured that we volition enactment similar that,” helium said.

Arpan Rai2 February 2023 04:48

Brexit allowed UK to ‘do things differently’ successful supporting Ukraine, says Johnson

Brexit allowed the UK to “do things differently” erstwhile it came to providing weapons to Ukraine successful its conflict against invading Russian forces, erstwhile premier curate Boris Johnson has said.

Without Britain’s exit from the European Union, helium argued that providing Ukrainian equipped forces with anti-tank missiles would not person happened.

Mr Johnson made the comments pursuing a code astatine the Atlantic Council successful Washington today.

Read the afloat communicative here:

Arpan Rai2 February 2023 04:35

UK: Fighter jets not an contiguous solution

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster said providing combatant planes was “not an contiguous solution” for Ukraine successful the warfare against Russia due to the fact that of the clip progressive with grooming Kyiv pilots.

Oliver Dowden was asked what helium made of erstwhile premier curate Boris Johnson urging the UK Government to perpetrate to providing Ukraine with combatant jets.

The Cabinet curate told ITV’s Peston programme: “I surely deliberation that we request to beryllium resolute successful supporting our Ukrainian allies.

“Now, I deliberation it is simply a spot premature to commencement talking astir jets and everything else, but of people we don’t regularisation thing disconnected the table.

“There’s grooming times and truthful connected associated with that, truthful it is not an contiguous solution, no.”

Katy Clifton2 February 2023 04:01

Johnson criticises Sunak determination not to springiness Ukraine combatant jets

Katy Clifton2 February 2023 03:01

Russia ‘may halt officials taking holidays abroad'

Russian legislators volition sermon a petition by 1 of Vladimir Putin’s closest allies to prohibition officials from taking overseas holidays during wartime, authorities media has cited a elder parliamentarian arsenic saying.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, laminitis of the almighty Wagner Group backstage army, said it was unacceptable that officials and parliamentarians were vacationing successful countries hostile to Russia.

Vasily Piskaryov, caput of the committee connected information and anti-corruption successful the State Duma oregon little enclosure of parliament, said legislators would instrumentality a look astatine whether changes should beryllium made.

“This inaugural ... surely deserves attention,” Tass cited him arsenic telling reporters. Prigozhin made the petition successful a missive to Piskaryov that the Wagner Group made public.

Katy Clifton2 February 2023 02:01

Brexit down UK’s vessel pledge, Johnson says

Without Brexit, the UK would not person delivered the adjacent procreation airy anti-tank weapons to Ukraine, according to erstwhile premier curate Boris Johnson.

Mr Johnson, taking questions aft a code astatine the Atlantic Council successful Washington, US, said: “I earnestly deliberation that it was successful portion due to the fact that of Brexit that we were capable to instrumentality a determination and to person an attack that was precise chiseled from the aged EU approach, which was by the mode each governed by the fabled Normandy Format which was agreed successful Normandy successful 2014.

“For reasons that are present obscure to me, the British authorities decided they did not privation to beryllium progressive successful this. France and Germany led it, that was the EU framework.

“If we’d stuck with that, I don’t judge we would person delivered the NLaws and I deliberation we would person taken a precise antithetic approach, to beryllium perfectly frank.

“I deliberation due to the fact that of Brexit we’ve been capable to bash things otherwise and I anticipation successful a mode that has been utile to Ukraine.”

Mr Johnson utilized his code to telephone for Kyiv to beryllium admitted to some Nato and the European Union.

Katy Clifton2 February 2023 01:00

Zelensky: I’ll marque arsenic galore unit changes arsenic necessary

Volodymyr Zelensky has said helium volition marque arsenic galore unit changes arsenic indispensable to combat corruption and stressed the request for the defence ministry to beryllium honest.

“Unfortunately, successful immoderate areas, the lone mode to warrant the regularisation of instrumentality is to alteration the enactment ... determination volition beryllium arsenic galore changes arsenic is necessary,” helium said successful a video address.

Police earlier raided an influential billionaire’s location successful what a Zelensky state touted arsenic a sweeping clamp down connected corruption.

Katy Clifton2 February 2023 00:01

Johnson says taking backmost span would beryllium ‘game over’ for Putin

Providing Ukraine with the weapons to instrumentality backmost the alleged “land bridge” invaded by Russian forces would beryllium “game over” for Russian president Vladimir Putin, Boris Johnson has said.

The erstwhile premier minister, asked aft a code astatine the Atlantic Council successful Washington, US, what onshore span helium had been referring to, said: “This is the area, arsenic it was, betwixt Mariupol, betwixt Donbas and the Crimea that Putin has taken, that agelong portion of onshore that fundamentally prevents the Ukrainians from reaching the Azov Sea. That’s the area.

“If they instrumentality that backmost — which they tin and they person a program — if they tin instrumentality backmost Melitopol and Berdyansk and Mariupol, get backmost those areas, it is crippled implicit for Putin. That’s what needs to happen.”

Katy Clifton1 February 2023 23:00