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Pro-Russian forces have allowed ‘sacrificial troops’ to be captured in efforts to pinpoint Ukrainian troop positions.
A Ukrainian fighter said a precision bombing was carried out on a secret interrogation after pro-Russian troops were seized while armed with AK47s and taken there.
It comes as Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said it was ‘highly unlikely’ Britain or its allies will send troops to defend Ukraine if Russia invades it.
Russia has stationed about 70,000 troops near the border of Ukraine and has started planning for a possible invasion as soon as early next year, US intelligence claimed.
Mr Wallace and Ukrainian defence minister Oleksii Yuriyovych Reznikov issued a joint statement on last month that said they were ‘concerned’ by Russia’s military build-up.
British Army tanks arrived in Sennelager, central Germany for an exercise with its allies as fears grow about a Russian invasion of Ukraine
Troops from the UK had previously been pulled from Germany following the end of the Cold War
As the British Army trains in Germany with its allies, the Kremlin has denied preparing to invade Ukraine and accused Kiev of stoking tensions
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace (pictured) said it was ‘highly unlikely’ Britain would come to Ukraine’s rescue if it were invaded as the Eastern European country was not part of Nato
It added: ‘The United Kingdom stands shoulder to shoulder with the people of Ukraine and will continue its long-standing determination to support them.’
An elite Ukrainian paratrooper said sacrificial pro-Russian troops ‘were carrying the tracker devices’ and suggested their ‘comrades were prepared to sacrifice them’ in an interview with the Mirror.
Mr Wallace said because Ukraine is not part of Nato he did not expect anyone to challenge a Russian invasion.
‘It is not a member of Nato so it is highly unlikely that anyone is going to send troops into Ukraine to challenge Russia’, Mr Wallace told The Spectator.
‘We shouldn’t kid people we would. The Ukrainians are aware of that,’ he added, in comments from The Times ahead of the interview’s publication.
Asked if that meant Ukraine was on its own, Mr Wallace said: ‘We can all help with capacity building but to some extent Ukraine is not in Nato and that is why we are doing the best diplomatically to say to Putin don’t do this.’
A self-propelled howitzer fires during artillery drills held by the 92nd Separate Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces at a shooting range in an unknown location in eastern Ukraine
Service members of the 92nd Separate Mechanised Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces hold artillery drills at a shooting range in an unknown location in eastern Ukraine
A Ukrainian serviceman keeps watch at a position on the frontline with Russia-backed separatists near the village of Pesky on Tuesday
Russia has 50 battalions comprising up to 94,000 troops stationed on the Ukrainian border with another 80,000 – 100,000 sitting in reserve and will be ready to invade within weeks, the US warned in November
Russian snipers and army intelligence officers staged war games in the snow in the latest drills by Vladimir Putin’s forces.
The exercises in Russia come amid deep Western concern the Kremlin is preparing for a winter invasion of Ukraine.
Reconnaissance troops were seen in action on snow vehicles rehearsing combat against a simulated enemy in extreme conditions below -10C.
The Arctic training in Murmansk region involved ‘destroying’ foes with Kalashnikov rifles and Makarov pistols, according to Zvezda TV, which is owned by the Russian defence ministry.
‘Particular attention is paid to training military personnel for operations in low temperatures, deep snow cover, strong winds and polar nights,’ a defence spokesman said.
Russia’s Northern Fleet held infantry drills in Murmansk region in the Arctic in December 2021
Two Russian snipers in white camouflage training during infantry drills. Other exercises included using Kalashnikov rifles and Makarov pistols
A Russian soldier shoots at a target while standing in a trench on a snowy field in the Arctic this month
Russian TOS-1 heavy flame thrower system is a 220mm 30-barrel multiple rocket launcher system fires during military drills near Orenburg, Russia on December 16
Russian 152.4 mm self-propelled howitzers designed by the Soviet Union shoot during military drills near Orenburg
Russian BM-21 ‘Grad’ a Soviet truck-mounted 122 mm multiple rocket launchers shoot during more military drills
Russia said it does not threaten any country and it has a sovereign right to move its troops across its own territory
Marines of the Baltic Fleet forces of the Russian Navy train in the zone of obstacles during military exercises at the Khmelevka firing ground in the Kaliningrad region, Russia, last month
Russia on Friday published draft security demands that Nato deny membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet countries.
It also said it wanted Nato to roll back the alliance’s military deployments in central and eastern Europe.
The bold ultimatums will almost certainly be rejected by Nato, especially since the West has previously denied Moscow a written guarantee Ukraine won’t be offered membership.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday that destabilising action in Ukraine by Moscow would be a ‘strategic mistake’
Mr Johnson told Mr Putin there would be ‘significant consequences’ for Russia if it invades Ukraine
It comes days after Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Russian leader Vladimir Putin there will be ‘significant consequences’ for Russia if it invades Ukraine.
The Prime Minister spoke by telephone to Mr Putin on Monday to reassert the UK’s commitment to Ukraine’s territorial integrity and warn that any destabilising action by Moscow would be a ‘strategic mistake’.
The Kremlin has denied preparing an invasion and has accused the government in Kiev of stoking tensions in the region by deploying new weapons.
British troops, tanks and equipment were ordered to Germany last month amid fears of a Russian threat to the Baltic states
Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014 and has supported a separatist rebellion in the country’s east. Pictured: British troops train in Germany
More than seven years of fighting in Ukraine has killed over 14,000 people and devastated the country’s industrial heartland, the Donbas. Pictured: A British soldier positioned with a gun on a Army vehicle during a training exercise in Germany
Russia published draft security demands on Friday that Nato deny membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet countries. Pictured: A British Army armoured car with a fixed gun on top during a training exercise in Germany
The two countries have been at odds since 2014 when Russian forces annexed the Crimean peninsula and backed a separatist rebellion in eastern Ukraine.
Last month British troops, tanks and equipment were ordered into Germany as the UK and its Nato allies stepped up their presence in the region amid fears of the Russian threat to the Baltic states.
The equipment, troops and civilian contractors needed to maintain military hardware will return next year to Sennelager, central Germany, an important training area for British soldiers after the Second World War.
Military figures hope the establishment of a Nato Forward Holding Base in Germany will deter the Kremlin from seeking to seize territory.
It will allow for a swifter response to any Russian thrust into Latvia, Lithuania or Estonia by Vladimir Putin’s forces.
The Army will shrink to its smallest size in 300 years by 2025 with just 73,000 regular trained soldiers.
However, the Ministry of Defence claimed the Army would be ‘fit for the challenges of the future’, helped by ‘regional hubs’ such as the one in Sennelager.
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