UK: Russian pullout hopes dispelled: Threat of a Russian invasion remains very much real and that more of its forces have been sent to the border with Ukraine

There is particular concern about the shelling of the Ukrainian village of Stanytsia Luhanska on Thursday in which a kindergarten was hit

Reports of alleged military activity by Ukraine in Donbas are a blatant attempt by Russia to fabricate pretexts for invasion.: Twitter

Amit Roy   |   TT  |   London   |  18.02.22  :  The optimism of only a couple of days ago that President Vladimir Putin had started the process of de-escalation has been dispelled by the UK which claims that the threat of a Russian invasion remains very much real and that more of its forces have been sent to the border with Ukraine.

An explanation on how Britain knows so much about Russian troop movements came from Admiral Lord West, former First Sea Lord, who revealed to Times Radio: “With the capabilities we and the Americans have got in terms of satellites, GCHQ and NSA, we know, actually very accurately, what’s going on, I think more accurately sometimes than the Russians realise.”

There is particular concern about the shelling of the Ukrainian village of Stanytsia Luhanska on Thursday in which a kindergarten was hit.

Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba was backed by senior British politicians after he tweeted that the village “was shelled with heavy weapons from the occupied territory of the Donbas. Civilian infrastructure damaged. We call on all partners to swiftly condemn this severe violation of Minsk agreements by Russia amid an already tense security situation”.

As she arrived in Kiev, the British foreign secretary, Liz Truss, accused Russia of mounting a “false flag” operation and tweeted: “Very concerned about reports today of increased Russian aggression: over 7,000 extra troops near the Ukraine border and an attack by pro-Russian troops on a kindergarten in Ukraine.”

“Reports of alleged abnormal military activity by Ukraine in Donbas are a blatant attempt by the Russian government to fabricate pretexts for invasion,” Truss added. “This is straight out of the Kremlin playbook.”

Truss is also seeking to build up her personal image as a latter day Margaret Thatcher with the same qualities as the “Iron Lady”, in case she has to do battle with the chancellor Rishi Sunak in a Tory leadership contest. Many feel her statements on Ukraine are made partly with a domestic audience in mind.

For example, in an article for Thursday’s Daily Telegraph she wrote: “We must not be lulled into a false sense of security by Russia claiming that some troops are returning to their barracks, while in fact the Russian military build-up shows no signs of slowing.

“We must have no illusions that Russia could drag this out much longer in a brazen ploy to spend weeks more – if not months –subverting Ukraine and challenging Western unity. This is a test of our mettle.”

She was due to make a speech in Kiev to say the “path of diplomacy” remained open if Moscow really does want a peaceful resolution to the crisis. “But we are very clear – if they decide to continue down the path of aggression, there will be massive consequences, bringing Russia severe economic costs and pariah status.”

Another person emerging as a credible Tory leadership candidate is the defence secretary, Ben Wallace.

Speaking in Brussels after a meeting of Nato defence ministers, Wallace said that despite Russian claims of troops withdrawals, “we’ve seen the opposite of some of the statements. We’ve seen increase of troops over the last 48 hours up to 7,000, we’ve seen a bridge constructed from Belarus into Ukraine  or near Ukraine…..we’re going to judge Russia by their actions and at the moment the troops build-up continues.”

Before the meeting, Wallace said: “We are deadly serious in how we’re going to face the threat that is currently being posed to both Ukraine and potentially to our security. This is not a joke or a light matter. This is a real challenge to the stability of Europe.

One of the ways we can make sure there is no overspill or escalation is to provide resilience to our partners at Nato and that’s what we’re all doing.”

The UK’s Armed Forces Minister James Heappey told BBC Breakfast that an invasion was still possible: “All of the conditions are set for things to happen very quickly indeed.”