US WARNS: US warns Russian troops are ‘ready to go’ with 80% in forward positions ready to attack Ukraine as Kiev’s banks and government are hit by massive cyberattack
The U.S. has warned the Ukrainian government that Vladimir Putin’s troops are ‘ready to go now’ with a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with 80 per cent of Russian troops now assembled around the country in attack positions.
U.S. President Joe Biden warned Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of an ‘imminent’ attack by Vladimir Putin’s troops in the next 48 hours, just hours after Ukraine was hit by a ‘massive’ cyberattack targeting its government and banks
U.S. intelligence chiefs fear Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, is at particular risk of being targeted in a Russian invasion as it is close to the Ukrainian-Russian border. Last night, a huge military convoy of more than 100 trucks with soldiers were heading in the direction of the city.
‘The President of Ukraine has been warned Russia will highly likely begin an invasion within 48 hours based on U.S. intelligence,’ a White House official told Newsweek.
Meanwhile, the websites of Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Security Service, and Cabinet of Ministers were all out of action Wednesday afternoon after a cyberattack. Bomb threats were also phoned in to several government buildings, thought to be part of a psychological pressure campaign by Moscow.
Deputy prime minister Mykhailo Fedorov said banks were also targeted in a ‘massive’ distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack – which uses computer networks to bombard websites with information until they crash – in what analysts have warned would likely be the first stage of a Russian attack.
It came just hours after the whole country was placed on a war footing: A state of emergency was declared and approved by parliament, 200,000 military reservists called up, border zones were restricted and three million Ukrainians told to leave Russia, with Kiev acknowledging for the first time that an attack could now take place anywhere, at any time.
As the noose tightened, Prime Minister Boris Johnson pledged to send more weapons to help Ukraine defend itself against what the US has warned will be an all-out Russian assault. Johnson also promised more and tougher sanctions against Russia if Putin escalates further.
Earlier in the day, Vladimir Putin had given a sabre-rattling address to his troops to mark Defender of the Fatherland Day, praising their ‘battle readiness’ while saying he is assured that they will fight to defend Russian security interests – which he called ‘non-negotiable’. Russia also evacuated staff from its Kiev embassy.
Ukraine’s security agency claimed 45,000 plastic body bags have now been ordered to the Russian frontlines, giving the first hint of the amount lives Putin is willing to sacrifice to get what he wants – after Joe Biden said supplies of blood for transfusions have also been brought in.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss warned that Putin is ‘hell-bent’ on a full-scale invasion of Ukraine with a direct attack on the capital of Kiev ‘highly likely’ to be in his plans. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison predicted the attack is ‘likely to occur within the next 24 hours’.
Meanwhile the EU imposed wide-ranging sanctions on Russia targeting the defence minister, heads of the armed forces, all 351 members of its parliament, and prominent propagandists. It comes after the US and UK announced their own measures on Tuesday, targeting oligarchs and banks.
Russia hit back, saying ‘there should be no doubt’ that new US sanctions would be met with a ‘strong response’ which would be ‘well-calibrated and sensitive for the American side’ – while warning it is ‘capable of minimising the damage’ from American measures.
Biden had last night announced a first wave of US sanctions, warning he is ready with more if Russia escalates. He also ordered the deployment of more NATO troops to Europe – 800 soldiers to Italy, dozens of Apache helicopters to the Baltics and Poland, and raised the prospect of the alliance’s first permanent base in eastern Europe.
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