Russian bombs and missiles could begin landing on key targets in Ukraine with almost no notice if Moscow gives the order for an offensive to begin, the UK has warned, amid a growing standoff between the two eastern-European nations.
Speaking to Sky News on Friday, Armed Forces Under-Secretary James Heappey told Britons in Ukraine that they are at risk of great danger if Russian President Vladimir Putin decides to invade.
“I’m being very, very clear to people that they should leave Ukraine now, while there are the commercial means to do so, and while the motorways [sic] are available for them to drive out over the border” Heappey said.
“This isn’t a warning about something that could happen in three months’ time,” the minister went on. “This isn’t a warning that will be followed by further warnings because greater imminence has been reached. This is a warning because minutes after Putin gives the order, missiles and bombs could be landing on Ukrainian cities. And that means British citizens should leave now, while they have the opportunity to do so.”
Heappey added that he did not know how many British citizens had already left Ukraine due to warnings from the government. Regarding the chances that an invasion would take place, he said “my fear is it is very imminent, that’s not to say it’s definitely going to happen.”
Western leaders have sounded the alarm over the past several months, fearing that Russia could be planning an attack on Ukraine and in the past week a number of states, including the US and Israel, have announced that they are pulling diplomatic staff out of Kiev in anticipation of a potential conflict. Moscow has insisted that it has no aggressive intentions, and has called for security agreements that would limit the activity of NATO, the US-led military bloc, in eastern Europe.