Makeshift trenches vs ranks of tanks as Russian forces mass on Ukraine border
DRESSED in combat gear and brandishing a Kalashnikov, the Ukrainian soldier pictured far right stands in a makeshift trench, ready to resist the military might of Russia.
The soldier and his comrades may resemble a Dad’s Army band of defenders, but Russian president Vladimir Putin’s military build-up along Ukraine’s border is being seen as a deadly serious escalation by leaders in the West.
As Kiev warned it could be ‘provoked’ by Russia’s aggression, Western nations voiced their fears that Putin’s move could trigger an all-out war, which could drag Nato allies, including Britain, into the conflict.
Chilling footage on social media showed thousands of Russian tanks, missile trucks, armoured vehicles and long-range guns being transported on freight trains to Crimea and the border of the disputed eastern Ukrainian region of Donbass, which has been occupied by Russian-backed separatists since 2014.
Kiev estimates that Putin has ordered 85,000 troops into Crimea and to strategic locations between six and 25 miles from the Donbass border. At least six 2S4 Tyulpan self-propelled mortars – capable of firing warheads 12 miles – were filmed on flat-bed trains. Dubbed the ‘city destroyer’, the weapon’s devastating power has demolished strong holds from Chechnya to Afghanistan.
The military build-up–the biggest since 2014 when Russia annexed Crimea – has so alarmed Western leaders that US president Joe Biden despatched two warships to the Black Sea. They will arrive later this week.
Last night, there were concerns for 100 British troops inside Ukraine who have been training the country’s forces as part of Operation Orbital. The Ministry of Defence said they were not in the eastern part of the country.
Ukraine’s government, led by President Volodymyr Zelensky, has accused Russia of planning to invade Donbass and condemned it for inciting violence between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian rebels.
Dmitry Kozak, the deputy head of Russia’s presidential administration, said Kiev government members were like ‘children playing with matches’, adding: ‘ Military action… would be the beginning of the end of Ukraine.’
Ukraine’s president yesterday met Turkey’s leader Recep Erdogan in Istanbul in a bid to ease tensions. Last night, Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: ‘We will work closely with Ukraine to monitor the situation and continue to call on Russia to de-escalate.’