Russia might use the crisis to launch cyber and other hybrid attacks on Nato countries. It could even send troops to the three Baltic countries - Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania. Oil prices have also risen since the invasion, given Russia’s role as an oil producer and as a form of security for investors as the stock market slumps. In terms of military aid, the UK has trained 22,000 Ukrainian troops under Operation Orbital since 2015, supporting both Ukraine’s army and navy. Both President Putin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu stressed that conscripts would not be sent to fight in Ukraine. Leaders including Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Ursula von der Leyen have both called for an accelerated roll-out of clean energy. Germany has said it might need to use coal, the most polluting fossil fuel, for longer than expected, in order to free itself from gas. It came as Ukraine was hit by a wave of Russian missiles on Tuesday, in attacks that killed eight people and wounded dozens in Kyiv and Kharkiv. The Royal Navy is struggling to hire more than the other forces, with just 29,000 full-time recruits. Support links Those remaining have again been urged to leave Ukraine immediately - if they judge it is safe to do so. Martial law - which means the military takes control temporarily - has been imposed across the whole of Ukraine and traffic jams built up as people fled the capital city of Kyiv. Russia's invasion of Ukraine is a catastrophe for our continent, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said. If you are reading this page and can't see the form you will need to visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your question or comment or you can email us at Please include your name, age and location with any submission. There was a major separatist conflict in Chechnya in the 1990s, with a decade of ultimately unsuccessful fighting for its independence. Speaking as the Foreign Office pulled some embassy staff out of Ukraine, the PM said the situation was pretty gloomy but war was not inevitable. In the UK, National Service - the country's old name for conscription- ended in 1960. BBC Russian has established that Russia's losses in Ukraine include more than 1,000 elite officers, including many pilots, intelligence experts and special forces. Only aircraft deployed to protect energy facilities, or those carrying top Russian or foreign officials, will be allowed to fly with special permission in the designated zones, according to the Vedomosti daily newspaper. The defence alliance, which counts the UK, US and many European countries as members, has also condemned Belarus for enabling the attack. But that troops being sent to Europe would defend Nato allies - which includes countries like Poland who share a border with Ukraine. Belarus allowed Russian troops to enter its country to access Ukraine's northern border as part of the invasion. Watch Newsround The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted that the Foreign Office was circulating disinformation and urged it to cease these provocative activities and stop spreading nonsense. The UK has accused President Putin of plotting to install a pro-Moscow figure to lead Ukraine's government. Because this act of wanton and reckless aggression is an attack not just on Ukraine, it's an attack on democracy and freedom in eastern Europe and around the world. The UK cannot and will not just look away at Russia's hideous and barbaric attack on Ukraine, Boris Johnson has said. He said the UK's baffling decision to hold back sanctions until after Russia's incursion into Ukraine had not deterred Mr Putin. UK nationals were advised two weeks ago to leave Ukraine while commercial flights were still available. The measures against both the the banks and individuals include UK asset freezes, a travel ban and prohibition on British individuals and businesses dealing with them. The individuals concerned are Gennady Timchenko, Boris Rotenberg, and Igor Rotenberg, all oligarchs who Mr Johnson described as “cronies” of the Russian president. Rossiya, IS Bank, General Bank, Promsvyazbank and the Black Sea Ban are the banks in question. While the UK has no plans to directly go to war with Russia, Mr Johnson had strong words for his Russian counterpart on Thursday. It is extremely unlikely that the UK will go to war with Russia any time soon. Morality and reality: the key problems facing UK military recruiters Mr Johnson said the UK and its allies would agree a massive package of economic sanctions in a bid to hobble the Russian economy, warning that the West would need to cease its dependence on Russian oil and gas. Speaking at a military conference, Sanders starkly described the British people as part of a “prewar generation” who may have to prepare themselves to fight in a war against an increasingly aggressive Russia. The chief of general staff highlighted the example of Sweden, which has just reintroduced a form of national service as it closes in on joining Nato. Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson said the prime minister did not agree with comments made by Gen Sir Patrick Sanders in a speech on Wednesday, and was forced to insist there would be no return to national service, which was abolished in 1960. The Western defence official said that if Russia chose to carry out an attack now it could do so. Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg criticised Russia's reckless attack on Ukraine and said despite weeks of tireless international diplomacy, Russia had chosen the path of aggression. It constitutes an act of aggression against an independent peaceful country. The Foreign Office also named four other Ukrainian politicians who it said maintained links with the Russian intelligence services. The UK is providing additional military support to eastern Nato member states and will support Ukrainians in their defence of their homeland, he added. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs tweeted that the Foreign Office was circulating disinformation and urged it to cease these provocative activities and stop spreading nonsense. One Whitehall source told the Times that the training of Ukrainian civilians on UK soil could act as a rehearsal for rapid Army expansion. The size of its active armed forces is only 19,000 personnel, but it can call on another 238,000 reserves. As Gen Sir Patrick Sanders stated several times in his speech on Wednesday, Ukraine really matters. Russia's ambitions, he said, were not just about seizing territory but about defeating our system and way of life politically, psychologically and symbolically. But its method - a pair of statements aimed very much at the Sunday papers - has raised eyebrows. The Foreign Office, in a press release remarkably short on detail, said it had evidence of a Russian plot to install a puppet government in the wake of an invasion. In his speech, Sanders said the cold war peace dividend was over, noting that “over the last 30 years, the army has been halved in size; in the last 12 years, we’ve absorbed a 28% reduction”. Recruitment remained a challenge, he said, although applications to join were “the highest in six years”. A little earlier, we told you about a report in the Financial Times that the EU was proposing to sabotage Hungary's economy if Budapest blocks further aid for Ukraine this week. Only aircraft deployed to protect energy facilities, or those carrying top Russian or foreign officials, will be allowed to fly with special permission in the designated zones, according to the Vedomosti daily newspaper. A spate of Ukraine-linked attacks on Russia's oil infrastructure have reportedly led Moscow's energy ministry to propose restricting flights over energy facilities. Russia’s actions have drawn widespread condemnation from the West, including from Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who addressed the UK with a televised statement on Thursday. https://euronewstop.co.uk/why-doesnt-ukraine-attack-moscow.html could restrict future gas flows by abandoning the Nord Stream 2 pipeline which would run under the Baltic Sea from Russia to Germany. Some autocratic leaders are looking to see how robustly the West resists attempts to undermine the territorial integrity of a sovereign nation. Western powers are acutely aware this crisis is being closely watched by the rest of the world. Right now, such scenarios tend to exercise only the minds of Ministry of Defence war-gamers and military thriller writers. But far-fetched as they might sound, General Sir Patrick Sanders, the head of Britain’s army, believes it is time we dwelt on them more. But without political support, the mindset of a country that does not feel like it is about to go to war is unlikely to change. But he was making the point that if war broke out troop numbers would be too small. But it boosts the strength of the professional armed forces, which is often relatively small. Instead, he was urging Britain to prepare for a mass mobilisation of tens of thousands of people, should war break out. Finland, Nato's newest member and a country which has an 800-mile border with Russia, has wider conscription. Refusal can mean a jail sentence, though there is the option of civilian service out of uniform too. A number of European countries also rehearse for civil emergencies - with exercises that involve ordinary citizens as well as the military. A year ago, in an attempt to ensure politicians plugged the gap with future spending, he warned that gifts of weapons to Ukraine would “leave us temporarily weaker”. Downing Street has dismissed a warning from the head of the British army that the UK public must be prepared to take up arms in a war against Vladimir Putin’s Russia because today’s professional military is too small. The Russian president has intensified a crackdown on opposition since the start of his invasion of Ukraine, and this has ramped up further as the elections have approached. Unnamed Indian government sources have suggested India wants to distance itself from Russia, according to Reuters news agency. If the US abandons the military alliance, it will fall to European countries to ensure a Ukrainian victory, Mr OBrien says.
https://euronewstop.co.uk/why-doesnt-ukraine-attack-moscow.html
