Notes

Has Russia invaded Ukraine? What can UK do? Where will this end? Your questions answered
Cuts have already seen the size of the British Army fall from more than 100,000 in 2010 to around 73,000 now. Gen Sanders said that within the next three years the British Army needed to be 120,000 strong with the addition of reserves. But he said even that is not enough - so the Army should be designed to expand rapidly "to enable the first echelon, resource the second echelon, and train and equip the citizen army that must follow". Finland, Nato's newest member and a country which has an 800-mile border with Russia, has wider conscription. Around 80% of the male population complete some form of military service. Refusal can mean a jail sentence, though there is the option of civilian service out of uniform too.

Mr Heappey told the House of Commons that further troops were being sent to Estonia earlier than planned to help the Nato ally. It may also try to seize the major ports of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov and Odessa on the Black Sea, and create a “land bridge” to Crimea. This brings the United Kingdom’s total package of support to Ukraine to approximately £12 billion. Boris Johnson has made clear the UK will not send troops to Ukraine if Russia launches a full-scale invasion, but there are other ways of aiding the European ally.
However, don’t expect to see Jeremy Corbyn being carted off straight away. In extremis, a wartime government could inter anyone deemed a threat to public order or the war effort. While Covid was a useful exercise in Armageddon planning, 21st-century Britain is arguably less ready for actual warfare than it was even 30 years ago.

Is Russia going to invade Ukraine? Could https://euronewstop.co.uk/where-is-ukraine-air-force.html go nuclear? Will UK troops get involved? Your questions answered
Kyiv and its allies are worried that the supply of foreign weapons and ammunition to the Ukrainian military is stalling, with Republicans in the US Congress choking the funds the Pentagon needs to fulfil its aims. The German defence minister, Boris Pistorius, recently made radical calls to prepare for war that would dramatically reorient the German military after nearly eight decades spent in a multilateralist defensive mode. The head of the British army has warned UK citizens to be prepared for a war on the scale of the great conflicts of the 20th Century – and that they themselves may need to mobilise. Meanwhile, UN estimates suggested more than 100,000 people have already fled their homes in Ukraine. Overnight, at least 1,000 Ukrainians arrived by train in Poland's south-eastern city of Przemysl alone.


In response to his speech, the government insisted that a full military call-up is not on the table. Crucially, General Sanders insisted that the potential scale of the conflict in years to come must not be underestimated. Sanctions will also be applied to Belarus, a long-term ally of Russia, for its role in the assault on Ukraine. Russian military convoys crossed from Belarus into Ukraine's northern Chernihiv region. Mr Heappey said "British and Nato troops should not [and] must not play an active role" and that any miscalculation could escalate quickly.

Turkey arrests 47 alleged IS members over Istanbul church attack
Russian troops made two attempts to storm the presidential compound, according to his adviser. His declared goal on 24 February 2022 was to "demilitarise and denazify" Ukraine and not occupy it by force, days after backing independence for eastern Ukrainian territories occupied by Russian proxy forces since 2014. Sky correspondent Alistair Bunkall, a defence specialist, answered your questions on the Ukraine crisis in a live online Q&A. Russia officially claims that it is an expeditionary oceanographic ship used for marine research, however intelligence sources told DR it is actually a spy vessel. 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. Intelligence sources claim their aim is to lay the groundwork for sabotage against rival countries, including the UK, ensuring Russia is well positioned to inflict strategic blows in future conflicts.

Western powers are acutely aware this crisis is being closely watched by the rest of the world. In its latest defence intelligence briefing, the MoD said Russia has lost 2,600 tanks and 4,900 armoured vehicles in Ukraine so far. “If you are talking about mass mobilisation to defend the homeland, that is hundreds of thousands of people,” he said.
But, they are unlikely to get involved with cyber warfare, which would be considered direct involvement. Both the US and the UK are also helping Ukraine manage Russian cyber attacks, which could lead to many Ukrainian deaths if key infrastructure is taken over by Moscow. Condemnation from the Foreign Secretary Liz Truss was swift, saying the UK stands with Ukraine and will work with our international partners to respond to this "terrible act of aggression".


The Covid lockdown, which saw fights breaking out in queues at supermarkets and garages, was a glimpse of how trouble can spark during times of nationwide panic. There would also be concerns about looting, especially if food shortages started to bite. “We have become so comfortable here in Britain that it’s hard to imagine young people fighting, and when I went to Afghanistan a decade ago, I didn’t think the youngsters of would be up to much,” he said. The logistics of training a “Citizen Army” are also formidable, according to one former Territorial Army (TA) soldier. “If you are talking about mass mobilisation to defend the homeland, that is hundreds of thousands of people,” he said.

Russia officially claims that it is an expeditionary oceanographic ship used for marine research, however intelligence sources told DR it is actually a spy vessel. Talk of wider war in Europe and the potential need for mass mobilisation or a "citizen army" may sound alarming. While Russia’s forces are strong they would be dwarfed by Nato’s collective power, making touching a Nato member incredibly risky. If war broke out in Ukraine and Russian forces occupied large swathes of the country, many civilians might flee.
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