ON A KNIFE'S EDGE
WAR in Ukraine appears certain after Vladimir Putin decided to recognise the independence of two rebel breakaway regions.
The Russian leader tonight signed a decree recognising the Donetsk and Luhansk areas as independent states following a Bond Villain-style meeting with his henchmen.
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The inflammatory move sparked panic among peacemakers in the West battling to broker a last gasp peace bid as 200,000 Russian troops stood ready to invade.
And it paved the way for Russian tanks to roll into eastern Ukraine to "secure" ground grabbed by pro-Putin rebels in 2014.
Prospects for peace through a summit meeting between Putin and US president Joe Biden appeared doomed as fired-up Putin ignored pleas for restraint.
The ruthless Russian president had earlier appeared at a carefully stage-managed Kremlin press conference alongside aides trotting out grave warnings posed by "Ukrainian aggression".
But Ukraine has vehemently branded the claims an avalanche of "false flag" attacks manufactured to give war-hungry Putin an excuse to attack.
His massive force looked certain to enter the rebel-controlled territory in Donbas after he warned The West that talks over the enclave had reached "a dead-end".
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The Kremlin leader was warned the EU is likely to impose sanctions if he followed through with the decree.
"If there is annexation, there will be sanctions, and if there is recognition, I will put the sanctions on the table and the ministers will decide," the EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said after a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers.
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Recognition of the rebel-held areas could provide a pretext for Russian troops to cross the border into those areas.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned Putin's remarks that Russia was set to recognise two Kremlin-backed breakaway Ukrainian regions as independent, his office said on Monday.
His office said in a statement that he also told Putin during a phone call that any such move would amount to a "one-sided breach" of the Minsk agreements designed to end a separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine.
Scholz also urged Putin to pull Russian troops from Ukraine's border and deescalate the situation in eastern Ukraine.
The chancellor said he would consult with Ukrainian and French leaders about the situation in Ukraine.
Putin was tonight pictured signing the decree after telling the French and German leaders he intended to do so, recognising the Donetsk and Luhansk areas as independent states.
No other nation has recognised the two breakaway regimes since they were snatched from democratic Ukraine in 2014 - when Russia also annexed the Crimean Peninsula.
Tension are soaring in Ukraine, which is threatened from the north, south and east by a vast fighting force of tanks, troops, warplanes, artillery and battleships.
An attack from the east looks certain amid fears that Putin may go for broke - and launch a simultaneous air blitz on capital Kyiv.
Meanwhile, in a TV address to the Russian nation tonight, Putin spoke with frightening fervour about Ukraine's place in Russia's orbit - suggesting his ambitions may extend to a complete takeover.
The former KGB officer claimed Russia was "robbed" when the Soviet Union disintegrated in 1991 and the collapse of the bloc a "geopolitical catastrophe".
Russian stocks instantly fell by 11 per cent last night as he made his announcement and the value of the Rouble crashed.
After a rambling address about the history of Ukraine and its roots, Putin said modern Ukraine was “created” by Russia - then issued a direct threat.
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He ranted: "So you want de-communisation? That suits us.
“But let’s not stop half way. We are prepared to show you what real de-communisation looks like"
Boris Johnson said after hearing Putin's combative address tonight: "I don't know what is in his mind, I can't read it.
"I think there is a chance that he could row back from this, we have to pray that that's the case."
Warning of crippling sanctions against Russia, Mr Johnson said: "What has happened is extremely bad news, we will be urgently talking to our friends and allies around the world who have signed up to this package.
"It's become clear we need to start applying as pressure as we possibly can - it's hard to see how this situation improves."
Downing Street said tonight that Putin's move was plainly a breach of international law and a violation of sovereignty and integrity of Ukraine.
It comes as - according to US intelligence - Russia has now massed a force of between 169,000-190,000 troops in the region, including pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine, and could invade within days.
Russia denies any plan to attack its neighbour but has threatened unspecified "military-technical" action unless it receives sweeping security guarantees, including a promise that Ukraine will never join NATO.
Recognition by Moscow of the rebel regions' independence would further narrow the diplomatic options to avoid war, since it would be an explicit rejection of a seven-year-old ceasefire mediated by France and Germany, still touted as the framework for any future negotiations on the wider crisis.
It comes as Russia has moved 'Terminator' tanks to just two miles from the Ukrainian border, new video shows.
The move is the latest firepower being massed by Putin and it comes as the US has warned "tens of thousands" could die in the days following an invasion.
Footage shows convoys of Russian military hardware, including missiles and tanks, being moved to the Belgorod border region.
It comes as:
- Boris Johnson warns the Russian invasion of Ukraine would "biggest war since 1945"
- Videos continue to show Russian armour moving - with a new clip showing 200 tanks on the march near Ukraine
- Russia was said to have begun "Operation Z" - as tanks marked with the symbol moved close to Ukraine
- Putin could drop his 44 ton Father of All Bombs weapon in a blitz of Ukraine
- It was warned the UK is fighting with "one hand tied" against a resurgent Russia and China
- Britain has moved its embassy in Kyiv some 336 miles away as the tensions rage
- Pro-Russian rebels ordered an evacuation from the Donbas - accusing Ukraine of planning an attack
Terminator tanks, which are bristling with weapons and designed for fighting in cities, are seen in a video for the first time heading towards the border on a train.
They are capable of hitting lightly-armoured enemy vehicles, other tanks and even helicopters and low-flying aircraft.
The short-range all-weather Tor air defence system was visible, while a Russian mobile military hospital is seen in Shebekino, near the frontier.
Meanwhile, new satellite images are said to show Russian battle groups heading to the border and Nato was warned cities across Ukraine could be blitzed in the "imminent" attack.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Moscow's decision to keep the force "indefinitely" made him more worried than ever.
He said: "Everything we are seeing suggests that this is dead serious, that we are on the brink of an invasion.
"Until the tanks are actually rolling, and the planes are flying, we will use every opportunity and every minute we have to see if diplomacy can still dissuade President Putin from carrying this forward."
French President Emmanuel Macron pleaded for peace in a two-hour phone call with Mr Putin last night.
Early today Mr Macron's office said Putin and US President Joe Biden had agreed in principle to a summit on the crisis, but it "can only be held if Russia does not invade Ukraine".
But the Kremlin blamed Kyiv for the escalating crisis, with a chilling statement on "provocations of the Ukrainian security forces" after fresh clashes in the disputed Donbas region.
Nato fears Putin will use alleged attacks in Russian-speaking areas as an excuse for a "fully fledged" assault and occupation of the whole country.
Boris Johnson later spoke to Mr Macron and discussed his call with Putin.
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Downing Street said they "underscored the need for President Putin to step back from his current threats" and "agreed next week would be crucial for diplomacy."
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