Russia could start bombing Ukraine minutes after Putin gives the order, UK defense minister warns
Alexey Nikolsky/Getty Images
- Russia could invade Ukraine in days, with "greater imminence reached", a UK defense minister said.
- James Heappey warned the Kremlin could give "no notice" for the attack.
- "Minutes after Putin gives the order, missiles and bombs could be landing in Ukraine," he said.
Russia could start attacking Ukraine "minutes" after President Vladimir Putin gives the order to do so, a UK defense minister warned Monday.
James Heappey, minister for the armed forces, told Sky News that British citizens "should leave Ukraine now," following several warnings that an invasion could be a matter of days away.
He said: "This isn't a warning about something that could happen in three months' time. This isn't a warning that'd be followed by further warnings because greater imminence has been reached."
"This is a warning because minutes after Putin gives the order, missiles and bombs could be landing in Ukraine."
Heappey also told BBC Breakfast: "All of the conditions are set for Russia to launch an attack on Ukraine with no notice. That's why the travel advice was changed on Friday and has been communicated as forcefully as the government can to British citizens in Ukraine over the weekend."
Heappey stressed "that's not to say this [war] is definitely going to happen," emphasising the UK's desire to deescalate the tensions through diplomatic means.
President Joe Biden's administration said on Friday that Russia could invade Ukraine before the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics after previously suggesting Russia could wait until after the games ended on February 20. However the White House has stressed it is still not known if the invasion will take place.
The Associated Press reported Saturday that the US had intelligence indicating Russia was looking to invade this Wednesday, though US officials told Reuters on Sunday that they could not confirm the information.
In a phone call Saturday, Biden asked Putin to pull back the Russian troops stationed at the border and warned the US would "respond decisively and impose swift and severe costs" if an offensive took place.
The US currently estimates that more than 130,000 Russian troops are stationed on Ukraine's border, the Associated Press reported, citing an unnamed US official.
Some airlines have started canceling flight routes that would require flying over Ukraine airspace.
from Business Insider https://ift.tt/kFijMSh
via IFTTT
Comments
Post a Comment