Is Russia invading Ukraine? Russia-Ukraine Conflict explained, will it lead to war - and what has Putin said?

What is happening on the Russia-Ukraine border? Here's everything you need to know.
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Concern is growing around the possibility that Russia is planning to invade Ukraine after around 100,000 Russian troops were placed near the border.

Conflict between Russia and Ukraine has been ongoing since 2014, when Russia last invaded and annexed the Crimean peninsula.

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With the crisis growing, the UK has withdrawn its embassy staff and the US has ordered relatives of its embassy staff to leave the country.

Is Russia invading Ukraine? Russia-Ukraine Conflict explained, will it lead to war - and what has Putin said?Is Russia invading Ukraine? Russia-Ukraine Conflict explained, will it lead to war - and what has Putin said?
Is Russia invading Ukraine? Russia-Ukraine Conflict explained, will it lead to war - and what has Putin said?

The UK and US have both stated they are considering bringing in sanctions against Russia, if they invade Ukraine, with the UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, saying there would be “severe economic costs” for Russia, if the conflict goes ahead.

Here’s everything you need to know about what's happening with Russia and Ukraine.

Will Russia invade Ukraine?

Russia has denied and dismissed any claims that it has any plans to invade Ukraine.

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However, they recently placed 100,000 troops near the Russian-Ukraine border and have increased their naval exercises in the Black Sea.

Ukraine has ambitions to join Nato, which President Putin sees as a threat to Russian security.

Russia has previously invaded Ukraine, most recently in 2014, when it annexed the Crimean peninsula after Ukraine’s pro-Russian president was removed through protests.

Since the annexing the region, there has been an ongoing conflict between Ukraine and the separatists, with over 14,000 people dying in the conflict so far.

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What has President Putin said?

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The Russian President Vladimir Putin claims that a guarantee made in 1990 that would not let Nato expand into Eastern European countries has been broken by the West.

He has accused Nato of providing Ukraine with weapons and states that Russian forces will not retreat from the Ukrainian border asking, “Do they think we’ll just sit idly by?”

Since 2004, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia who share a border with Russia, have joined Nato, with Ukraine expressing ambitions to do the same.

What has the US said about the situation?

The US have committed tio supporting Ukraine if there is an invasion, with US President Joe Biden stating,

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“If any assembled Russian units move across the Ukrainian border, that is an invasion. Let there be no doubt at all that, if Putin makes this choice, Russia will pay a heavy price.”

The US has confirmed they have 8,500 troops on high alert to be deployed to Nato, but Biden has ruled out sending troops to Ukraine.

What has the UK said?

The UK has withdrawn embassy staff from Ukraine as a precaution.

Boris Johnston has confirmed that if needed, the UK will contribute troops to any Nato deployment.

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Sanctions are also something the UK might bring in, with the Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss commenting to the BBC Radio 4's Today programme,

'We have ruled nothing out in terms of sanctions, and in fact we’ll be legislating to toughen up our sanctions regime and make sure we are fully able to hit both individuals and companies and banks in Russia in the event of an incursion.'

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