RUSSIAN INVASION ALMOST CERTAIN — MINISTER

IN LAST-DITCH ATTEMPT TO AVERT WAR, HE WARNS TENS OF THOUSANDS COULD DIE

- Nicholas Cecil and David Bond

A RUSSIAN invasion of Ukraine is now “very, very imminent if not inevitable” Britain said today, warning it could lead to tens of thousands of people dying in a major war in Europe.

Armed Forces minister James Heappey said Russian troops were moving into attack positions towards Ukraine’s borders, despite claims from

Moscow of forces being withdrawn. In an 11th-hour bid to avert war, he urged President Vladimir Putin not to send “thousands of young Russian men and women to their death” in what could be a long-lasting bloody conflict, but insisted a diplomatic solution was still possible.

On a visit to Kiev, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss also stressed Russia would become a “pariah” state if it invades Ukraine, with the West imposing economic sanctions and other retaliatory measures.

Minister: Diplomacy must continue at top speed to avert conflict in Ukraine

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said high-stake talks would continue on all aspects of Moscow’s security proposals, which include that Ukraine not be allowed to join Nato, a demand rejected by the West.