In the headlines
Russia has launched a multi-pronged invasion of Ukraine. The assault began at 5am local time, from Belarus in the north, Crimea in the south and Donbas in the east. Buildings have been struck by missiles and artillery shells in cities across the country, with dozens of casualties reported already. Vladimir Putin warned that any nation interfering with his plans would “face consequences greater than any you have faced in history”. Ukraine has declared martial law and “will give weapons to anyone who wants to defend the country”, says its president, Volodymyr Zelensky. The West is preparing its response, with the EU declaring it will subject Russia to “the harshest package of sanctions we have ever implemented”. “There is a very real prospect of this spilling over into Nato territory,” former Nato commander Richard Shirreff tells Times Radio. “This is going to be about as bad as anything we’ve seen since the Second World War.”