Britain’s armed forces minister has warned that once Putin gives the order, the launch of missiles could come with “no notice”.
Minister James Heappey said Moscow may fire missiles and bombs on Kyiv but it is “impossible” to know how many British nationals are left in the country.
Speaking to Sky News, he urged any remaining Brits to leave while there are still commercial flights running and motorways into the European Union are open.
Prime minister Boris Johnson has warned the situation had become “very, very dangerous”, and on Friday, February 11, Heappey told any Britons in Ukraine to leave immediately.
Heappey told Sky News: “We’ve seen now that there’s 130,000 combat troops around Ukraine’s land borders. There’s thousands more on amphibious shipping in the Black Sea. Russia has concentrated artillery missile systems and combat air in the area.”
“And, perhaps more ominously, although it grabs less headlines, all of the combat enablers, the logistics, the fuel, the medical supplies, the bridging assets, are all also now in place.
So, the reason that the travel advice changed on Friday and the urgency of the messaging since is that the attack could effectively now happen with no notice,” he added.
Minister Heappey explained: “This isn’t a warning about something that could happen in three months’ time, this isn’t a warning that will be followed by further warnings.”
“This is a warning because minutes after Putin gives the order, missiles and bombs could be landing on Ukrainian cities, and that means British citizens should leave now whilst they have the opportunities to do so,” he added.
It comes as Boris Johnson is set to join last-ditch diplomatic efforts to bring Putin “back from the brink” of war in Ukraine as the crisis enters a “critical juncture”.
Downing Street conceded Moscow could be planning to invade “at any moment” but the prime minister will hold talks with world leaders before a trip to Europe during this week’s “window of opportunity” for de-escalation.
Speaking to reporters during a recent visit to Scotland, the prime minister said the situation was “very, very dangerous and difficult” and claimed “we are on the edge of a precipice”, but there is “still time for President Putin to step back”.
On Sunday, many airlines have canceled or diverted flights to Ukraine amid heightened fears that an invasion by Russia is imminent despite intensive weekend talks between the Kremlin and the West.
Ukraine’s air traffic safety agency Ukraerorukh declared the airspace over the Black Sea to be a “zone of potential danger” because of Russian naval drills and recommended that planes avoid flying over the sea from February 14 to 19.
The U.S. and its NATO allies have repeatedly warned that Russia will pay a high price for any invasion, but they have sometimes struggled to present a united front.
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.
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.
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