World

Bombs will drop on Ukraine within minutes of Vladimir Putin giving the order, the armed forces minister has warned. After telling all Britons on Friday to leave Ukraine immediately, James Heappey told Sky News: “My fear is it is very imminent, that’s not to say it’s definitely going to happen. “This is a warning because

For those in the UK, western Europe and the United States who take comfort in the fact that an escalating crisis with Russia over Ukraine is blissfully far away – think again. Any move by Russian President Vladimir Putin to bomb Kyiv into submission and seize control of the country by force – as could

The defence secretary has warned it is “highly likely” that Vladimir Putin will order an attack on Ukraine, despite ongoing talks to avert a war. Ben Wallace also said there is a “whiff of Munich in the air” – an apparent reference to the agreement that allowed the German annexation of the Sudetenland in 1938,

French police have fired tear gas at protesters on Paris’ Champs Elysees avenue who are demonstrating against coronavirus restrictions. Cars carrying protesters managed to get through police checkpoints to cause traffic around the Arc de Triomphe monument to grind to a halt. The protesters waved French flags and sounded their horns in defiance of the

Olympic officials have said they would welcome an anti-doping investigation into the Russian doctors, coaches and family in the entourage of 15-year-old figure skater Kamila Valieva. Valieva broke down in tears on Saturday after an emotional practice session which was held as her case is being decided. The teenager’s future at the Olympics is uncertain

Protesters angry over pandemic restrictions have driven towards Paris in an effort to blockade the French capital – despite a police ban. The scattered convoys of vehicles were inspired in part by lorry drivers who have blocked Canada’s capital Ottawa and prevented border crossings, with French protesters sharing images of their Canadian counterparts. There are

Russian tanks spray up snow and mud as they churn through the rich black soil in the borderlands. Moscow claims its forces are only taking part in military drills, but the message they deliver is that bloodshed may not be far away. There is now a mass of armour sitting menacingly on Ukraine’s doorstep, the

A full invasion of Ukraine would not be a “simple walk in the park” for Russia because Ukrainian troops would fight for every metre of land until their last breath, the commander of all ground forces has warned. General Oleksandr Syrskyi said his soldiers were starting a round of military exercises in the north of

Nord Stream 2, the controversial gas pipeline linking Germany and Russia, should never open, according to one of Ukraine’s most senior diplomats. Vsevolod Chentsov, Ukraine’s ambassador to the European Union, also claims his country is being “pushed towards NATO and towards the West” by the actions of Russia, which he insists is guilty of “breaching

Spy planes are conducting missions to track Russian movements, which might include listening to Russian soldiers’ phone calls home, according to one expert. The planes are equipped with devices that allow them to collect signals sent from Russian bases and to intercept communications. Sky News analysis of flight tracking data from a typical day in

China is targeting Uyghurs and critics abroad, pressuring other countries to detain and deport them, an investigation by Sky News has found, with high-ranking Chinese officials even conducting interrogations at “black sites” abroad. Chinese agents and police routinely operate abroad, attempting to identify Uyghurs who have fled China. Some are coerced into spying for the

Six Russian warships are heading for the Black Sea for naval drills amid escalating tension between the West and Moscow over the Ukraine crisis. The Russian defence ministry said the exercises were a planned movement of military resources, according to the Interfax news agency. It came hours after Paris said Vladimir Putin had promised not

Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned European countries will be drawn into military conflict if Ukraine joins NATO, following a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron. The Russian leader also warned there would be “no winners” from the ongoing crisis, after meeting with his French counterpart at the Kremlin, for talks he described as useful,

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to meet Vladimir Putin in Moscow this afternoon in an attempt to calm tensions on the Ukrainian border. “The priority for me on the Ukrainian question is dialogue with Russia and de-escalation,” Mr Macron told reporters in France. “I’m very worried by the situation on the ground.” At the same time, German

Russia and France have common security concerns in Europe, Vladimir Putin told Emmanuel Macron at the start of their meeting in the Kremlin on Monday. The French president met with his Russian counterpart in an attempt to calm tensions in the region. At the meeting, President Macron said there needs to be a useful response

The cells of Herat’s main prison are crammed full. In each of the cells we go into, there are about 40 men laying jammed up against each other on the floor with some on bunk beds around the edges. We’ve been given exclusive access to one of the Taliban’s jails and we’re escorted by the

Boris Johnson and Emmanuel Macron have agreed that countries on NATO’s eastern flank must be “fully defended against malicious Russian activity”. That applies “wherever and however it might occur”, the two leaders added. Amid continuing concerns that Russia may invade Ukraine, the British prime minister and French president also “stressed that NATO must be united

A suicide bomber who targeted Kabul airport during an evacuation mission in Afghanistan acted alone, a US investigation has found. The attacker, carrying 20 pounds of explosives packed with ball bearings, blew himself up at Abbey Gate outside the airport on 26 August last year. At the time, the UK, US, and other nations were

A five-year-old boy who spent four days trapped in a 32m (105ft) deep well has died, Morocco’s king has said. Footage from the scene in the north of the country showed workers emerging from a tunnel – dug specifically for the rescue – carrying the child, Rayan Awram, on Saturday evening. An Associated Press reporter

Russia and China have put on a united front as the country’s leaders met in Beijing ahead of the Winter Olympics opening ceremony, with the two looking to present themselves as a counterweight to the US and its allies. China said it supported Russia’s demands for security guarantees from the West, as both countries called