British MPs have given a standing ovation to Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy as he gave an historic address to the House of Commons.
MPs took to their feet even before Zelenskyy, who appeared via a live video link from Ukraine, had said a word.
Echoing Winston Churchill, a defiant Zelenskyy said: “We will continue fighting for our land, whatever the cost. We will fight in the forests, the fields, the shores and in the streets.”
Concluding his speech, he thanked Boris Johnson by name and called on the UK for more support.
Speaking through a translator provided by Parliament TV, he said: “We are looking for your help, for the help of Western counties.
“We are thankful for this help and I am grateful to you Boris.
“Please increase the pressure of sanctions against this country (Russia) and please recognise this country as a terrorist country.
“Please make sure sure that our Ukrainian skies are safe.
“Please make sure that you do what needs to be done and what is stipulated by the greatness of your country.
“Glory to Ukraine and glory to the United Kingdom.”
Russia has announced new “humanitarian corridors” to provide safe passage for Ukrainian civilians fleeing the invasion instigated by Vladimir Putin.
But the limited ceasefire was dismissed by Ukraine and Western allies as an immoral stunt, as the escape routes would only take displaced people to Russia and its ally Belarus.
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What are humanitarian corridors?
A humanitarian corridor is a temporary pause of armed conflict, agreed by both sides, to allow food and medical aid to be brought to a warzone, or for civilians to evacuate.
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These demilitarised zones are in most cases negotiated by the United Nations, and are seen as vital to avoiding a humanitarian catastrophe, especially when international law is breached by the shelling of civilians.
Humanitarian corridors have been used since the mid-20th century. During the so-called Kindertransport from 1938 to 1939, Jewish children were evacuated to the UK from areas under Nazi control. They were also created during the siege of Sarajevo, Bosnia, in the 1990s and the 2018 evacuation of Ghouta, Syria.
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Access is typically limited to neutral parties, such as the UN or aid organisations including the Red Cross.
What has been proposed?
The Russian invasion has pushed 1.5 million people to flee the country, creating what the head of the UN refugee agency called “the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II”.
Two planned evacuation operations from Mariupol and the nearby city of Volnovakha have failed over the last two days as the sides accused each other of failing to stop shooting and shelling.
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In Mariupol alone, Ukrainian authorities have said they planned to evacuate over 200,000 civilians, or half of the city’s population.
Ahead of a third round of talks between Russia and Ukraine planned for Monday, Moscow said it would open six humanitarian corridors – passages would open for civilians from the capital of Kyiv, the southern port city of Mariupol, and the cities of Kharkiv and Sumy.
But Ukraine rejected the plan given the proposed routes led into Russian or Belarusian territory. These are unlikely destinations for many Ukrainians who would prefer to head towards countries on the western and southern borders. Belarus is a key ally of Putin and served as a launching ground for the invasion.
Where Ukrainians are seeking safety.
PA Graphics via PA Graphics/Press Association Images
According to maps published by the RIA news agency, the corridor from Kyiv will lead to Belarus, and civilians from Kharkiv will only have a corridor leading to Russia. Corridors from Mariupol and Sumy will lead both to other Ukrainian cities and to Russia.
What has Russia said?
The Russian taskforce said the new pledge for humanitarian corridors was announced at the request of French president Emmanuel Macron, who spoke to Putin on Sunday. Macron’s office said he asked for a broader end to military operations in Ukraine and protections for civilians.
“Attempts by the Ukrainian side to deceive Russia and the whole civilised world…are useless this time,” the Russian defence ministry said after announcing the corridors.
What has Ukraine said?
Ukrainian deputy prime minister Irina Vereshchuk called the proposed evacuation routes to Russia and Belarus “unacceptable”. “Our people won’t go to Belarus and to Russia,” she told a news briefing, claiming that Russia was seeking to manipulate Macron’s sincere desire to help.
Macron criticised the proposal as a case of “cynicism”. “I don’t know many Ukrainians who want to seek refuge in Russia. That’s hypocrisy,” he said.
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A spokesperson for Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the Russian proposal was “completely immoral”. “They are citizens of Ukraine, they should have the right to evacuate to the territory of Ukraine,” the spokesperson said.
The International Red Cross has confirmed that the “humanitarian corridor” prepared by Russia for civilians from #Mariupol was full of mines. This is terrible!#Russia was preparing a massacre. This is the genocide of #Ukrainians! It is good that we managed to avoid it this time.
The Ukrainian government is proposing eight humanitarian corridors, including from Mariupol, that would allow civilians to travel to the western regions of Ukraine where there is no Russian shelling.
The Russian proposal was reminiscent of similar ones in Syria. In 2016, a joint Russian and Syrian proposal to set up humanitarian corridors out of besieged opposition-held eastern Aleppo was criticised on humanitarian grounds.
Human rights activists said the tactic, coupled by brutal sieges, effectively gave residents a choice between fleeing into the arms of their attackers or dying under bombardment.
The head of the armed forces has urged British people not to travel to Ukraine to take part in the war with Russia.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin’s said it was “unlawful as well as unhelpful” for anyone from the UK to get involved in the conflict.
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His comments put him at odds with foreign secretary Liz Truss, who last week said she would support anyone from Britain who wanted to fight Vladimir Putin’s forces.
She said: “The people of Ukraine are fighting for freedom and democracy, not just for Ukraine, but for the whole of Europe. Because that is what president Putin is challenging.
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“And absolutely, if people want to support that struggle, I would support them in doing that.”
But appearing on the BBC’s Sunday Morning programme, Radakin said: “Support from the UK, support in whatever way you can. But this isn’t really something that you want to rush to in terms of the sound of gunfire. This is about sensible support based in the UK.”
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Asked if Liz Truss should not have said she would support anyone who wanted to fight, he added: “I think she was reflecting (that) she could and that we can all understand that sentiment, and that sentiment needs to be channelled into support for Ukraine.
“But we’re saying as professional military people, that actually that is not necessarily the sensible thing to be doing.”
Boris Johnson, meanwhile, has unveiled a six-point plan aimed at defeating Putin.
He is calling for an international humanitarian coalition to help Ukraine and for the maximum economic pressure to be placed on Putin’s regime.
Johnson will meet with leaders from Canada, the Netherlands and central Europe on Monday as he seeks to bolster the global anti-Putin coalition.
He will tell them that Ukraine must receive more military and humanitarian support if Russia is to be beaten.
“Putin must fail and must be seen to fail in this act of aggression,” the PM will say.
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“It is not enough to express our support for the rules-based international order – we must defend it against a sustained attempt to rewrite the rules by military force.
“The world is watching. It is not future historians but the people of Ukraine who will be our judge.”
Boris Johnson will tell fellow leaders that “the people of Ukraine will be our judge” if the west fails to defeat Vladimir Putin.
The Prime Minister will say “the world is watching” as he unveils a six-point plan of action to help preserve Ukraine’s independence in the face of mounting Russian aggression.
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Johnson will this week meet with leaders from Canada, the Netherlands and central Europe as he seeks to bolster the global anti-Putin coalition.
He will tell them that Ukraine must receive more military and humanitarian support if Russia is to be beaten.
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“Putin must fail and must be seen to fail in this act of aggression,” the PM will say.
“It is not enough to express our support for the rules-based international order – we must defend it against a sustained attempt to rewrite the rules by military force.
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“The world is watching. It is not future historians but the people of Ukraine who will be our judge.”
Johnson will unveil his his six-point plan in a New York Times article on Sunday.
He is calling for an international humanitarian coalition to help Ukraine and for the maximum economic pressure to be placed on Putin’s regime.
The ”creeping normalisation of what Russia is doing in Ukraine” must be prevented, according to the PM, while diplomacy aimed at the de-escalation of Russian aggression must be stepped up and fully involve the Ukrainian government.
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Finally, Downing Street said Johnson wants to see “a rapid campaign to strengthen security and resilience across the Euro-Atlantic area.
Canadian prime minister Justine Trudeau and Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte will meet with the PM in Downing Street on Monday to discuss the Ukraine crisis.
It follows talks on Friday with French president Emmanuel Macron and the leaders of Turkey and Serbia.
On Tuesday, Johnson he will host leaders of the ‘V4’ group of central European nations – the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia – which are already experiencing first-hand the humanitarian crisis caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The government has said that Ukrainian refugees with family members in the UK will be able to live here for up to three years, a move which ministers claim could potentially benefit 200,000 people fleeing the war.
Harrowing footage shows the moment Sky News journalists came under fire from Russian forces in Ukraine earlier this week.
Veteran Sky News foreign correspondent Stuart Ramsay and his team of four others were attacked Monday while driving in a vehicle near the capital of Kyiv. Video shows the moment the team’s car was fired upon.
The attackers were Russian saboteurs targeting fleeing civilians, Ramsay reported.
“It’s a professional ambush,” Ramsay says in narration over the video. “The bullets just don’t miss.”
As the car takes fire, the journalists make a run for it down an embankment.
Camera operator Richie Mockler, who continued to film even as bullets pierced the vehicle he was in, took two rounds to his body armor. All five journalists were able to make their escape and are back in the U.K.
“We were lucky,” Ramsay says in the video. “Thousands of Ukrainians are not. And every day, this war gets worse here.”
Sainsbury’s is renaming chicken Kievs to match the Ukrainian spelling of their capital city Kyiv in the wake of the Russian invasion.
The supermarket chain said it would start rolling out new packaging in the coming weeks using chicken Kyiv, rather than the Russian spelling Kiev. Ukrainians pronounce their capital “kee-yiv”. The Russian version is “kee-yev”.
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The retailer also said it has removed all products that are “100 per cent sourced from Russia” from its shelves.
“We stand united with the people of Ukraine. We have reviewed our product range and have decided to remove from sale all products that are 100 per cent sourced from Russia,” a statement said.
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“This means that from today we will no longer sell two products – Russian Standard vodka and Karpayskiye black sunflower seeds.”
What is the history?
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Kiev, based on transliteration from the Russian cyrillic Киев, has long been the accepted international spelling, a hangover from Ukraine being swallowed up by Tsarist Russia and the Soviet Union.
But since independence in 1991, Ukrainians have been anxious to shed the connection with the USSR and the Russification of their country. Kyiv was officially adopted in 1995.
The spelling and pronunciation took on even greater political significance four years ago after Russia’s annexation of the Crimea. It prompted the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to launch the “KyivNotKiev” campaign.
Since international media started to pay closer attention to the country as Russian president Vladimir Putin prepared the ground for an invasion, Ukrainians have implored foreign journalists to report the name accurately.
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But not everyone is saying “chicken Kyiv”
Sainsbury’s is the first UK supermarket to make the switch, and it remains to be seen if other retailers will follow.
In the media, the respected Associated Press news organisation, which produces a hallowed spelling and grammar “stylebook” that is followed by newsrooms across the world, has said “chicken Kiev” will remain its preference.
It tweeted in January: “The spelling Kyiv is AP style for the capital of Ukraine, in line with the Ukrainian government’s preferred transliteration to English and increasing usage. The style for the food dish remains chicken Kiev.”
The spelling Kyiv is AP style for the capital of Ukraine, in line with the Ukrainian government’s preferred transliteration to English and increasing usage. The style for the food dish remains chicken Kiev.
AP changed “style” for the spelling of the city in 2019. AP’s vice president for standards, John Daniszewski, wrote at the time:
“We are making a significant change in our style for the Ukrainian capital city Kiev. It will henceforth be written in text, captions and datelines as Kyiv.
“The change is in line with the Ukrainian government’s preferred name and transliteration. The spelling Kyiv also has been gaining usage over the last decade among governments, international bodies and media organizations.
“The former spelling, Kiev, will still be seen in AP stories in certain contexts, such as the popular culinary dish, chicken Kiev, and in historical contexts, such as Kievan Rus, the name of the early East Slavic culture and state.
“Although the AP prefers traditional English spellings for many cities, including Rome, Moscow and Warsaw (not Roma, Moskva and Warszawa), we regard the Ukrainian spelling of Kyiv as an important adaptation because it is linked to Ukraine’s present status. To many Ukrainians, the former spelling Kiev appears outdated because it is associated with a time when Ukraine was part of the Russian and Soviet states, rather than an independent country.”
There was disbelief on social media as Gavin Williamson – the twice-sacked minister who oversaw an exams fiasco – was handed a knighthood by Boris Johnson.
Downing Street said on Thursday the Tory MP, who was widely criticised for his handling of schools as education secretary during the coronavirus pandemic, would be conferred the honour by the Queen.
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It is understood the 45-year-old has been ennobled on the basis of his political and public service.
as if the news wasn’t grim enough, Gavin Williamson has been given a knighthood
The former fireplace manufacturing firm managing director – who, as a Tory party enforcer, kept a pet tarantula named Cronus in a glass box on his desk – has a dubious track record in the upper echelons of politics.
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His handling of disruption to schools during the height of the pandemic and the grading of GCSEs and A-levels after exams were cancelled was widely seen as disastrous.
Williamson was rewarded with the role as education secretary by Johnson despite being sacked as defence secretary by Theresa May. It is worth noting he helped run Johnson’s successful 2019 campaign to become Tory leader.
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The firing from defence came following an inquiry into the leak of information from a security council meeting about Chinese telecoms firm Huawei’s involvement in the UK’s 5G mobile network. Williamson denied being the source of the leak, despite having an 11-minute conversation with a journalist that broke the story.
Away from policy errors, Williamson is perhaps best-known in British politics for his habit of making a gaffe. Here are some of his biggest:
Humiliating Marcus Rashford Mix-Up
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The education secretary told the Evening Standard that he had met Rashford, a prominent campaigner for free school meals, while it was later revealed he had actually met rugby union player, Maro Itoje. Both men are Black.
Referencing his Mancunian origins and Itoje’s London upbringing, Rashford later tweeted: “Accent could have been a giveaway [emoji].”
‘Forgets’ His A-Level Results
In an interview on LBC, the education secretary said his results allowed him to go to Bradford University.
“For a lad growing up in Scarborough, Bradford was the most exotic and exciting place in the whole world,” he said.
“I remember walking up to those college doors, going into my college at sixth form, getting the envelope, opening up that envelope, seeing the grades on there and feeling absolute delight.”
But pressed on what his results were, Williamson said: “I’ve forgotten, it was so long ago.”
Williamson was only able to reveal he did not get three A*s.
‘Russia Should Go Away And Shut Up’
In the wake of the poisoning of Sergei Skripal in 2018, Williamson gave his assessment of UK-Russian relations after the Sailsbury nerve agent attack.
Blaming Russia for the incident, he said: “It is absolutely atrocious and outrageous what Russia did in Salisbury. We have responded to that.
The tenor of his warning clearly had little effect.
Gavin Williamson getting a knighthood presumably for telling Russia to “go away and shut up”, because it can’t be over anything else
When Gavin Williamson said, “Russia should go away and should shut up.”
Russia obviously ignored this warning, as the wife of a former crony of Vladimir Putin decided to donate £30,000 to dine with the former Defence Secretary instead.
The Times’ Nicola Woolcock tweeted: “Gavin Williamson doesn’t turn up in person to Universities UK conference in Newcastle – but uses his videolink speech to warn universities to get back to in person teaching…”
Then defence secretary, he posted a photo from the government frontbench of the prime minister delivering a statement on Brexit.
It was captioned: “The @theresamay making her statement to the House of Commons.”
Admittedly, it was more drab than his usual content, which has a distinct weekend warrior energy.
A Commons spokesperson said: “Where [photography] is seen or reported to be happening the individual in question will be asked to stop and reminded of the rules.”
Heckled By His Phone
In 2018, Williamson was attempting to deliver a speech on Isis in the Middle East when a voice coming from his jacket pocket interrupted proceedings.
In what the Mirror suggested was probably the first speech to parliament by an artificial intelligence assistant, Siri could be heard saying: “Hi Gavin, I found something on the web for: ‘In Syria, democratic forces supported by…’”
Williamson told MPs: “I’m not sure what caused that intervention, but I do apologise for that.
“It is very rare that you’re heckled by your own mobile phone, but on this occasion it is a new parliamentary convention, without a doubt.”
Ukrainians have been subjected to an intense attack from Russia for the last week, pushing an estimated one million people to flee – but what’s life like for the millions who stayed behind?
While Russian president Vladimir Putin allegedly want to “seize the whole of Ukraine”, only the city of Kherson is actually under the control of Russian troops a week after the military invaded.
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Several other cities are under intense artillery attacks and persistent shelling – a move described as a potential war crime by Boris Johnson from the Kremlin – but have so far evaded capture by the Russians.
Citizens are still having to shelter in underground stations to stay safe and Ukraine has reported more than 2,000 civilian deaths so far.
And yet, millions of Ukrainians are determined to stay on and defend their country under their wartime leader and president Volodymyr Zelenksyy.
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So here’s what life looks for those people who are persevering through the unimaginable conditions, as their lives have been turned upside down over the last seven days.
Life continues amidst Putin’s evil. Here’s a mother with her newborn in a hospital basement in Kyiv. From @lynseyaddario, who is doing incredible work chronicling this tragedy and the fortitude of the Ukrainian people. pic.twitter.com/wH9Bb2b8XP
Civilians cross the shelled bridge in Irpin on March 2, 2022, in Irpin, Ukraine
Europa Press News via Europa Press via Getty Images
Civilians take shelter at an underground metro station in Kyiv on March 2, 2022
GENYA SAVILOV via AFP via Getty Images
Locals of Zaporizhzhia prepare and carry sand bags inside and outside of the hospital so that it is less affected by the Russian attacks, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine
Anadolu Agency via Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Miraculously, utility workers have made sure internet, light, heating and hot water facilities can still operate – but only in some cities.
While I am waiting for our website to recover from a cyberattack, want to praise Ukraine’s utility workers and internet providers. We still have internet, light, heating and hot water. The garbage truck, taking out the trash this morning, scared the hell out of us.
Food appears to still be in healthy supply in various areas of the country, despite concerns of an emerging humanitarian crisis among Western governments.
we also have bread. KyivKhlib factory has been baking some 50 tons a day! People are living inside the factory!
Civilians are seen in a downtown restaurant cooking food to distribute to soldiers, amid Russia’s attacks.
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Good news from the streets of Kyiv, many of the shops have fresh fruit and veg on the shelves, there has been a restock! After a few tough days, there are currently no long queues for food here in the city centre.
For those trapped without food, other Ukrainians are trying to gather supplies to help the less fortunate survive.
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In the city of Mariupol, the Russian forces have reportedly cut off its water, heating, power and supply lines. The city council has compared it to the “old Leningrad”, in reference to Nazi Germany’s siege of a then-Soviet city in 1941, which left 1.5 million dead.
A Ukrainian soldier even reportedly texted the Telegraph pleading: “If anything happens don’t let us be forgotten.”
Ukrainian volunteers in Poltava region collect supplies — food, water, medicine, clothes — for civilians trapped in nearby Kharkiv. pic.twitter.com/pNLavlJ7D2
Ukraine’s strength against the Russian forces has stunned the international community too, as the ordinary people stand up against Putin’s army in both large and small ways.
Civilians are training to fight, learning how to make molotov cocktails (homemade explosives) and, in some cases, stealing Russian equipment.
A civilian trains to throw Molotov cocktails to defend the city
VIACHESLAV RATYNSKYI via REUTERS
Civilians attend tactical and shooting exercises on the 6th day since start of large-scale Russian attacks
Anadolu Agency via Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
These images are amazing. A sort of 21st century equivalent of David and Goliath – Ukrainian farmers in their tractors , driving off with high-tech Russian weaponry https://t.co/2fimORpC0x
Civilians build iron barricades and traps to block Russia’s armoured vehicles
Anadolu Agency via Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
However, as French president Emmanuel Macon has warned “the worst is yet to come” when it comes to Putin’s brutality, it remains unclear how much longer people can live under these trying conditions.
The UK will personally sanction Russian president Vladimir Putin, Boris Johnson has told a virtual meeting of Nato leaders.
Putin and his foreign minister Sergei Lavrov are being targeted over their “revanchist mission” to overturn the post-Cold War order, the prime minister said.
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He told alliance leaders on Friday that the UK would echo measures announced by the EU to target the Russian leader.
Referring to Putin’s wish to recover territory which previously fell under the USSR, he said Russia was “engaging in a revanchist mission to overturn post-Cold War order”.
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Johnson told allies “the UK would introduce sanctions against president Putin and foreign minister Sergei Lavrov imminently, on top of the sanctions package the UK announced yesterday”, according to a No 10 spokesman.
“He warned the group that the Russian president’s ambitions might not stop there and that this was a Euro-Atlantic crisis with global consequences,” he said.
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Johnson also used the meeting to urge “immediate action” over the banning of Russia from the Swift payment system to “inflict maximum pain” on the Kremlin.
One western official said it was “likely” that Russia failed to achieve its main objectives on day one of its invasion of Ukraine.
The official added: “And my fear with those objectives, that timescale not being met, is if that continues to be a theme where they are delayed and then my concern is that that Russia uses indiscriminate use of indirect fire, particularly artillery systems, thermobaric weapons – which we know Russia has both in its armoury and has used in previous conflicts.
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“At the moment we’re not seeing the use of those particular weapons. But my fear would be that if they don’t meet the timescales and objectives that they would be indiscriminate in the use of violence and they don’t adhere to the same principles of necessity and proportionality and rule of law that Western forces do.
“This might be the last time you see me alive,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reportedly told EU leaders on a conference call on Thursday night.
Zelenskyy is currently hiding in Ukraine’s capital city of Kyiv as more than 100,000 Russian troops continue to attack the country on Putin’s orders.
“We were supposed to talk on the phone this morning, but he was no longer available,” Italian prime minister Mario Draghi told his parliament on Friday morning of Zelenskyy.
There has been reports of civilian casualties and families have been trying to flee Kyiv amid the chaos.
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President Vladimir Putin’s invasion has been condemned by western allies, with Boris Johnson accusing him of being a “blood-stained aggressor who believes in imperial conquest”.
Johnson has now unveiled ten further punitive measures after he was initially criticised for not going far enough with his first set of sanctions.
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In a Commons statement, he vowed the UK would implement “the largest and most severe package of economic sanctions that Russia has ever seen”.
Here, HuffPost UK takes you through what has been announced today and assesses what impact they will have.
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What Did Boris Johnson Announce Today?
Here are the 10 new sanctions:
1) An asset freeze on all major Russian banks, including VTB, the country’s second largest bank with assets totalling £154 billion.
2) Legislation to stop Russian companies to raise finance in this country and to ban the Russian state from raising sovereign debt on the UK markets.
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3) Sanctions against more than 100 Russian individuals, entities and subsidiaries. They include five wealthy oligarchs with links to the Putin regime.
4) Immediately banning Russian airline Aeroflot from landing planes in the UK.
5) Suspend and prohibit all dual use export licences to Russia on items such as electrical components that could be used in military or civilian computers.
6) Legislation prohibiting a wide range of high-tech exports to Russia.
7) A new law limiting the amount of money Russian nationals can deposit in UK bank accounts.
8) Work with allies to limit Russian access to the Swift international payment system.
9) Extend the full range of sanctions against Russia to Belarus, given its close links with Moscow and the part it played in the invasion of Ukraine.
10) Bring forward measures intended for the Economic Crime Bill to strengthen unexplained wealth orders and take action against kleptocrats that launder funds in the UK.
What Sanctions Were Already In Place?
Johnson announced the UK’s first set of measures against Putin on Tuesday which included sanctioning three wealthy allies of Putin and five Russian banks.
Alongside this, members of Russia’s lower parliamentary chamber, the Duma, and the Federation Council, who voted to recognise the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk, also face sanctions.
In addition, the territorial sanctions that were imposed on Crimea in the aftermath of the 2014 war will be extended to Donetsk and Luhansk, so no trade can be undertaken with UK individuals or businesses until they are returned to Ukrainian control.
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How Will The New Sanctions Hurt Russia?
The sanctions announced today will hit the pockets of oligarchs, big banks and companies with direct links to the Kremlin.
On the five super-rich oligarchs being targeted, a diplomatic source said: “These are people who have international lifestyles.
“They come to Harrods to shop, they stay in our best hotels when they like, they send their children to our best public schools, and that is what’s being stopped.
“So that these people are essentially persona non grata in every major Western European capital in the world. That really bites.”
In Johnson’s words, the aim is to “hobble” the Russian economy and increase the pressure on Putin to end his military action in Ukraine.
Even before the sanctions take effect, Russia’s economy is already feeling the impact of the global condemnation of its invasion.
Some $250 billion has already been wiped from the value of Russia’s top companies – the biggest one day decline on record – while the rouble has plummeted to record lows against dollar.
What Has Been The Political Reaction To The Sanctions?
Unlike the response to the previous sanctions announcement, opposition parties have responded positively to the latest measures, while urging the prime minister to go further if necessary.
Labour leader Keir Starmer said: “I welcome the set of sanctions outlined by the prime minister today and pledge opposition support for further measures.
“And there are changes we must make here in the UK. For too long our country has been a safe-haven, for the money that Putin and his fellow bandits stole from the Russian people. It must change now.
“Cracking open the shell companies in which the stolen money is hidden will require legislation. Bring it forward immediately prime minister and Labour will support it.”
SNP leader Ian Blackford called for the “complete economic isolation” of Russia.
He said: “Let’s not fall for the Kremlin propaganda that they are prepared to soak up any sanctions. If we act now, if the sanctions are targeted enough, swift enough, severe enough, if we impose nothing less than economic isolation, Putin and his cronies will suffer the consequences of their actions.”
What Might Happen Next?
Western officials believe Putin is determined to capture the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and replace the pro-western president Volodymr Zelensky with a puppet regime.
They fear such an assault would lead to large numbers of civilian casualties and the conflict could lead to clashes with neighbouring countries such as Poland, a Nato member.
Under Article 5 of the Nato constitution, which decrees that an attack on one member is an attack on them all, this would lead to full-scale war between Russia and the west.
