Russia is still building forces along the border with Ukraine, despite claims from Vladimir Putin that he does not want war, Britain’s head of military intelligence has warned.
Lieutenant General Sir Jim Hockenhull, the Chief of Defence Intelligence, said there have been sightings of additional armoured vehicles, helicopters and a field hospital heading to the border.
His stark warning came after Nato defence ministers meeting in Brussels said they had seen no evidence to support Russia’s claims it had begun withdrawing troops to their bases.
In a statement issued by the Ministry of Defence, Gen Hockenhull said: “Contrary to their claims, Russia continues to build up military capabilities near Ukraine.
“This includes sightings of additional armoured vehicles, helicopters and a field hospital moving towards Ukraine’s borders. Russia has the military mass in place to conduct an invasion of Ukraine.”
Earlier, alliance defence ministers said they remained “gravely concerned” by the Russian military build-up and again urged the Kremlin to revert to the “path of diplomacy” in line with its international commitments.
Secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said Nato was considering establishing new battlegroups in central, eastern and south-eastern Europe to counter the threat from Moscow, which he described as “the new normal”.
However, the mood in Ukraine has been once of defiance as people raised national flags and played the country’s anthem to show unity against fears of a Russian invasion.
The yellow and blue banner fluttered outside schools, hospitals and many shops to mark “Unity Day”, a holiday President Volodymyr Zelenskiy created this week after Russia massed troops near Ukraine’s borders.
The country’s armed forces also carried out drills in western Ukraine. Tanks fired shells and drove across bumpy fields, while soldiers trained with Javelin anti-tank missiles near the city of Rivne.
Russia has consistently denied having any invasion plans and has mocked Western warnings about an imminent invasion as “paranoia” and “madness”.
On Tuesday, at a joint news conference after talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, the Russian president said that Moscow does not want a war in Europe.
Mr Putin also said Russia had decided to partially withdraw troops from near Ukraine. However he said he wanted further discussions with the West about security issues, including a guarantee that Ukraine will never join Nato.
Additional reporting by agencies
