Britain yesterday warned Vladimir Putin that he will pay a heavy price if he invades Ukraine – as Kiev claimed that it had uncovered a coup backed by the Kremlin.
Sources revealed that the UK diplomatic team made a plea for Russia to withdraw 90,000. troops from Ukraine’s borders.
Official UK sources claim that Putin may be considering either an invasion into Ukraine temporarily or a larger-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Yesterday Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine, revealed details about a plot to remove him next week.
Sources revealed that UK diplomats made a direct appeal to Vladimir Putin (pictured), to withdraw 90,000.
He claimed that wealthy Russians were taped talking about a possible coup.
Moscow has denied involvement. But UK officials believe such a bid to destabilise Ukraine – ahead of possible military action – is ‘straight out of Russia’s hybrid playbook’.
According to Mr Zelensky, the plot was to be bankrolled by Ukrainian billionaire Rinat Akhmetov, said to be worth over £5billion.
The oligarch however said that this was an ‘absolute lie’. Nato also told Putin that using force against his neighbor would “come with a cost”.
It would, however, not respond militarily because Ukraine isn’t a NATO member. The UK would instead, along with its allies, impose tough economic sanctions upon Russia.
A wide-ranging press conference was held in Kiev. Mr Zelensky announced that he had received information about a coup attempt in the country. The event will occur on December 1st-2nd.
Volodymyr Zelensky, the president of Ukraine (pictured), revealed details about a plot to remove his office. He claimed that wealthy Russians had been taped talking about the possibility of a coup.
‘He [Rinat Akhmetov]is being drawn into the war. He has made a huge mistake.
He said, “We think that Russia is uttering very dangerous rhetoric.” It’s a sign that there might be an escalation.
He said that Ukraine’s powerful army is ready to fight Russia in an invasion.
Ukraine is working to strengthen its relations with Western countries. Recent agreements reached by Kiev to buy British-made warships, missiles.
The enhanced military cooperation between Ukraine (NATO) is believed to have upset Mr Putin, triggering the most recent invasion preparations.
Mr Putin recently proclaimed that Russia and Ukraine are ‘one country’ – even though its neighbour has been independent since 1991.
Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula in 2014. Over 14,000 people have died in this conflict.
Yesterday, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss met with Ukraine’s foreign Minister to reiterate Britain’s support.