Ukrainian civilians attend open military training to defend border from 200,000 Russian troops
CIVILIANS in Ukraine have been attending open military training as some 200,000 fully equipped Russian troops mass on its borders.
The besieged country has increased exercises amid fears an invasion may come “at any time”.
Satellite pics revealed six large Russian landing ships, primed to spearhead an amphibious attack, had moved to the Black Sea yesterday.
Vladimir Putin slapped down claims of a French breakthrough in the crisis.
The Russian leader mocked Emmanuel Macron for “torturing” him with peace pleas after the French President claimed Moscow had agreed in talks to pull troops out of Belarus.
Mr Putin went on to state: “If Ukraine is a member of Nato and goes to retrieve Crimea through military means, European countries are going to be dragged automatically into the conflict with the Russians.”
“Russia is a nuclear power which is a little bit bigger than the material of other countries.
“You would be dragged into this conflict against your will. You wouldn’t even have time to react.”
Mr Macron riled the EU in saying Ukraine should be forced to give up hopes of joining Nato, while Boris Johnson said Britain will “will not flinch”.
Most read in The Sun
And UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is expected to stress the NATO block is not on offer when she visits Moscow later this week.
A UK diplomatic source said: "Our view is Ukraine is a sovereign nation with the clear right to self-determine."
