Politics

100,000 Russian troops have amassed on the Ukraine border The UK is withdrawing some staff and their families from the British embassy in Ukraine amid fears of a Russian invasion. The Foreign Office said it was taking the action in response to a “growing threat from Russia”. "Some embassy staff and dependants are being withdrawn from Kyiv in response to the growing threat from Russia,” it said on Monday. "The British Embassy remains open and will continue to carry out essential work." British Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons said: “We will be continuing with our work alongside Ukraine partners.” The…

In Chonhar a blue and yellow flag marks the de facto border as Russian forces amass across a shimmering expanse of water https://youtu.be/qApyq_3u00Y Peering through binoculars, Mykola Chekman pointed to the bridge connecting Ukraine to Russian-controlled Crimea. “It’s not the first time the peninsula has been occupied,” he observed. He added: “Crimea has seen a lot of war.” Chekman – a Ukrainian army photographer – was standing on the castellated tower of what was once a tourist cafe. It is now a base for Ukrainian forces, facing off against their invisible Russian counterparts across a shimmering expanse of water and…

Move risks western division over Ukraine as Moscow says it would prefer to ‘do a deal with the Americans’ Ukrainian soldiers on the front line in Pisky, Ukraine on Tuesday © Brendan Hoffman/Getty French president Emmanuel Macron has called on the EU to forge its own plan for “security and stability” with Russia, in a move that risks undermining western solidarity in the face of Kremlin aggression towards Ukraine. In a speech to the European Parliament, Macron called for EU states to “conduct their own dialogue” with Russia rather than support diplomatic efforts led by the US and Nato, in…