Has Putin's war failed and what does Russia want from Ukraine

A Russian vessel that features prominently in the documentary is known to have navigated waters off the coast of Scotland in November 2022 that are packed with oil and gas pipelines and communications cables. It is a similar picture in Gaza where, despite the ferocity of Israel’s military assault, the Israel Defence Forces are still encountering stiff resistance from Hamas. But he was making the point that if war broke out troop numbers would be too small. But others have responded by "prepping for war" - stocking food and fuel. As Gen Sir Patrick Sanders stated several times in his speech on Wednesday, "Ukraine really matters". Russia's ambitions, he said, were not just about seizing territory but "about defeating our system and way of life politically, psychologically and symbolically".

Ukraine has imposed martial law across the country, meaning the military has taken control temporarily, and traffic jams have built up as people attempt to flee Kyiv. The West's bet was that the threat of sanctions would be enough to deter Russian aggression. The dependence of many European countries on Russian gas may also contribute to upward pressure on commodity prices as they seek alternative supplies from elsewhere. Following a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Monday, Mr Biden said the Nord Stream 2 Russia-to-Germany gas pipeline would be blocked if Russia further invades Ukraine. Russia denies it plans to invade, but has more than 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s border. But the official said Russia could also initiate actions against Nato members such as cyber and hybrid warfare, and even physical attacks.

UK sanctions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

But he said the decision not to "put British service personnel in direct fighting" was not about risk. Kyiv was hit by blasts overnight and tanks have been filmed entering the city for the first time. Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday morning, pledging more support in coming days. Mr Wallace said Russia failed in its main objectives on the first day of its offensive, losing 450 of its troops. The UK’s nuclear advice for citizens is called the Protect and Survive booklet.

• Russia could also justify a further invasion of Ukraine by recognising the territorial claims of the two separatist governments.
• Hours earlier Ukraine's president had asked how a people who lost eight million of its citizens fighting Nazis could support Nazism.
• A succession of Western leaders, including President Joe Biden, have made the complex journey to Kyiv.
• He vowed to protect people from eight years of Ukrainian bullying and genocide - a Russian propaganda claim with no foundation in reality.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the UK should brace itself for the "economic pain" the country will experience by imposing sanctions against Russia. The UK's Ministry of Defence said Russian forces based in Belarus were advancing towards Ukraine's capital Kyiv. The PM said President Vladimir Putin had launched a "vast invasion by land, by sea and by air" without provocation.

Why is Russia invading Ukraine?

In Ukraine, many officials are more worried about this kind of “hybrid” threat they say is backed by Russia than the prospect of a full-blown invasion, which is considered less likely. Nebenzya says the meeting was called on “unfounded accusations” and talks about “the myth of Russian aggression”. Crerar said that once the report into whether parties at Downing Street was published today, the UK prime minister attempted to delay the call but was rebuffed. “Today, I am setting out our readiness to act”, she said, adding that the government is proposing new legislation to sanction a “much broader” number of people and businesses linked to the Kremlin. Mr Johnson was among leaders of the G7 group of wealthy nations who met to discuss the situation. Earlier, the prime minister said on Twitter that the invasion was a "catastrophe for our continent".

• This was the last day in which the US could hold a Security Council meeting on Ukraine before Russia takes over the presidency on the council, allowing Moscow to frame the debate.
• The security service said it had arrested two senior officials from the ministry of defence who allegedly conspired with the chief executive of a little-known arms firm, Lviv Arsenal, over a contract for 100,000 mortar shells.
• The funds have since been seized and will be returned to the country’s defence budget, Ukraine’s prosecutor general said.
• A Conservative MP has warned that Vladimir Putin may be planning ways to attack the UK and Nato allies, following reports that a fleet of spy ships is mapping wind farms and communication cables in the North Sea.

Originally Ukraine was part of the Russian empire (USSR) but it won independence when the empire dissolved in 1991. The country attempted to remove its associations with Russia and create a relationship with countries in the West. Russia recently re-established their desire to keep Ukraine out of NATO in a list of security demands, sent to the US in December 2021. Among others, the demands included a stop to any NATO drills in the vicinity of Russia’s border. While NATO say they are “committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes”, they have the “military power to undertake crisis management operations” if diplomatic efforts aren’t successful.

The US and its allies have prepared a list of Russian elites linked to Vladimir Putin’s inner circle to hit with economic sanctions should Russia invade Ukraine, a senior US administration official has said. On Sunday, UK foreign minister Liz Truss said legislation to allow Britain to hit banks, energy companies and “oligarchs close to the Kremlin” would be introduced by the government this week. The prospect of further UK sanctions against Russia comes a day after the prime minister announced that five Russian banks had had their assets frozen and three Russian billionaires would have travel bans imposed. Mr Johnson said the UK and its allies would agree a "massive package of economic sanctions" in a bid to "hobble" the Russian economy, warning that the West would need to cease its dependence on Russian oil and gas. But the senior Western intelligence official warned that "military options are highly likely on the table in the Kremlin" if Russia's demands are not satisfied.

• He called on Moscow to engage in meaningful talks when he spoke alongside the Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in a joint news conference at the Alliance’s headquarters in Brussels.
• As cars queued on Ukraine's border with Moldova, the country's pro-EU president, Maia Sandu said she was declaring a state of emergency and was prepared to give help to tens of thousands of Ukrainians.
• A spate of Ukraine-linked attacks on Russia's oil infrastructure have reportedly led Moscow's energy ministry to propose restricting flights over energy facilities.
• A man was also killed in shelling outside the major north-eastern city of Kharkiv.

Putin has repeatedly warned that Ukraine’s attempts to join NATO are a red line for Russia. He also expressed concerns that some members of NATO are trying to set up a military training centre in Ukraine. This would give the country a military advantage in eastern Europe without Ukraine even joining the alliance.

• It has sent military equipment, weapons as well as ammunition as well as anti-tank drones to Ukraine, however, Germany’s has refused to send “lethal weapons” to Ukraine.
• Despite this, the UK and other allies have increased numbers of troops in NATO countries surrounding Ukraine.
• Moscow has claimed its forces have taken control of the village of Tabaivka in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region.
• Before Western artillery arrived in the east last summer, Kyiv officials said 100 to 200 troops were dying every day.
• In Kyiv, relatives of Ukrainian service personnel are calling on the government to set a time limit on how their loved ones should serve in the military.

Many analysts fear war in Ukraine could potentially spill over into other European countries. But both of these demands would break key Nato principles, namely that the alliance should be open to any European country that wants to join and that all Nato members should be sovereign nations. https://euronewstop.co.uk/why-is-the-uk-interested-in-ukraine.html is not a treaty and lawyers dispute whether it is legally enforceable. But it is a formal, public and written commitment by the UK to support Ukraine.