In an interview with BBC The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson states that there is evidence to suggest that Russia is planning “the biggest war in Europe since 1945”.
“All indications are that the plan has already begun to some degree,” Johnson said in the interview.
According to the Prime Minister, intelligence indicates that Russia will begin an invasion of Ukraine that will surround the capital Kyiv.
“People have to understand how many human lives will be lost if that happens,” Johnson said.
Ukraine calls for more support
World leaders are currently attending the annual security conference in Munich, where the crisis in Ukraine is high on the agenda.
On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine is Europe’s shield against the Russian threat – a threat he believes could later hit Europe itself.
– For eight years, Ukraine has been a credible shield. For eight years, Ukraine has held out against one of the world’s largest armies, Zelensky said in a speech at the security conference in Munich.
– CALLS FOR SUPPORT: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj was clear in his speech during the security conference in Munich. Photo: Thomas Kienzle / AFP
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Zelenskyj believes Ukraine deserves more international support.
– The security architecture in Europe is almost destroyed, and it is too late to talk about fixing it, the president said, condemning other countries for not giving Ukraine the military support it needs.
Zelensky described the support that has so far come as “more like cough syrup than a good covid medicine against a real threat that could affect the rest of Europe after Ukraine”.
Violation of the ceasefire
Russia has repeatedly denied plans to invade Ukraine. However, the West, led by the United States and NATO, does not trust this.
On Sunday, both the Ukrainian authorities and the separatists in the east of the country report new breaches of the ceasefire. According to pro-Russian separatists in Luhansk and Donetsk, villages were hit by artillery shells several times during the night. The Ukrainian army also reports several breaches of the ceasefire in the morning.
The reports have not been confirmed by independent sources.
– During a press conference on Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the situation in Ukraine had worsened. Photo: Reuters
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Over the past 24 hours, the EU has warned of increased manipulation of information from the area. The United States and NATO have also reiterated warnings of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Refugees
Russian authorities say they have received 40,000 people from Ukraine, two days after separatist leaders in Donetsk and Luhansk called for a mass evacuation.
Russia’s emergency minister Alexander Chupriyan says “40,000 refugees” have arrived in Russia’s southern Rostov region and are being housed in 92 emergency camps, according to the Russian state news agency TASS.
Two days ago, separatist leaders in the Donbass provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk called on civilians to evacuate the area. They claim that Ukrainian forces are preparing an attack on the region.
Ukrainian authorities and the military have repeatedly denied planning attacks on Donbass provinces.
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