Russia-Ukraine war news – World War III has already begun, experts warn as Zelenskyy blasts Putin’s attacks on civilians

Plans to downsize British Army even further could be scrapped over Russia threat

RISHI Sunak could cough up to reverse plans to slash the British Army to 72,000 within weeks, The Sun can reveal.

MPs believe the Chancellor will use his Spring Statement on March 23 to massively hike defence spending as the Russia threat explodes.

A planned cut of 10,000 troops was unveiled last year but are still deeply resented within the Ministry of Defence despite a wider uplift in defence spending.

Now that troop cut decision could be reversed in light on the growing threat from the Kremlin.

A senior Whitehall source said: “Critically it’s only been talked about, nothing has actually been cut yet so it’s not too late.”

On Sunday Defence Secretary Ben Wallace hinted at u-turn, telling the Telegraph the PM “has always been open” to revisiting defence funding “if the threat changes.

“And of course, we look at those funding levels,” he added.

Cold-blooded murder

A MOTHER and her two children were among the dead yesterday as merciless Russian troops fired on families fleeing the carnage in Ukraine.

At least eight people were killed when missiles rained down on hundreds of terrified locals as they ran across a bridge to escape the bombardment of Irpin near Kyiv.

Speaking after the attack in a video address, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed to punish “every bastard” who committed atrocities during the war.

Describing the family killed in Irpin, he said: “They were just trying to get out of town. To escape. The whole family. How many such families have died in Ukraine?

“We will not forgive. We will not forget. We will punish everyone who committed atrocities in this war.”

Addressing the Russian forces behind the attack, Zelenskyy said: “There will be no quiet place on this earth for you. Except for the grave.”

Shocking footage of the strike which killed the family thought to be a   girl aged eight and her brother with their mum was recorded by reporters.

It is believed a family friend was also killed in the strike.

Putin’s forces firing at nuclear reactor

Thousands of people are trapped in besieged Kharkiv, which has seen some of the heaviest bombing of the invasion so far.

Throughout the city, snowy streets are paved with glass blown from windows and debris torn from smashed buildings by missiles.

Earlier yesterday, Russian forces were accused of firing at a facility with a nuclear reactor, sparking fears of a major radiation leak.

Mad Vlad’s army are said to have fired unguided rockets at the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology.

Refusing to back down

The overnight raids came hours after Ukraine’s National Security Secretary Alexei Danilov warned to the nation expect a fresh onslaught.

“We have withstood the first, heaviest wave of attacks by Russian orcs.

“But the enemy is still dangerous as ready and united as possible.”

More bloodshed in Kyiv and Kharkiv

KYIV and Kharkiv came under fresh bombardment overnight as murderous Vladimir Putin hammered residential homes ahead of a feared second-wave offensive.

Missiles rained down after a day of true horror, which saw Russian troops fire on a nuclear reactor site and a mum and her two children killed as they desperately tried to flee during a ceasefire.

Air raid sirens rang out in the capital Kyiv in the early hours, while social media videos showed a number of explosions in second city Kharkiv.

One terrifying video, believed to have been filmed in Kharkiv, shows the moment a high-rise block of flats was blasted in a huge orange flash.

Another clip records the constant rumble of bombing in the distance.

And a third was claimed to show a Russian attack jet going down in flames.

What you need to know

These brilliant explainer articles will provide absolutely everything you need to know about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

‘I drove 600 miles with no food or sleep to escape Ukraine’

A UKRAINIAN woman who drove almost 600 miles while air raid sirens blasted and Putin dropped bombs near her family home in Kyiv has made it to London.

Nastya Zagoruychik is staying with friends in the city after fleeing the Russian invasion last week and is organising supplies to send back home to support the troops.

The young journalist, who was born in Kyiv, first went with her family to their country house near the outskirts of the capital before she decided to get in her car that day and drive west.

“I picked up my friend, who has a young child, as we started driving,” she said.

“It was incredibly hard to leave my parents and brother behind but it was what I had to do to be safe.

“My parents didn’t have the opportunity to leave. The men aren’t allowed to cross the border now so that’s why they didn’t come with me.

“My mother would not leave without her husband, so that’s why she has stayed.

“It was the longest I have ever driven by car on my own. I was without food, without sleep and without food.”

Vitali & Wladimir Klitschko head to frontline

THE Klitschko brothers have headed to the frontline in Kyiv ahead of a Russian siege and declared they were “ready to die for Ukraine”.

Vitali and his ex-heavyweight boxing world champ brother Wladimir visited a military checkpoint on the outskirts of the capital on Sunday.

Images from the frontline show Vitali, who is the mayor of Kyiv, and his brother being escorted around the checkpoint in bullet-proof vests by Ukrianian defenders.

At one point, Vitali is a witness to an improv wedding between territorial defense fighter Lesya and her new hubby Valeriy and is later captured standing in front of a sign that read “Iron Kyiv”.

‘Further defensive equipment’

Boris Johnson has agreed to provide more defensive equipment to Ukraine following a phone call with Zelensky the BBC reports.

“The leaders discussed the urgent needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Prime Minister undertook to work with partners to provide further defensive equipment,” a Downing Street spokesperson said.

364 civilians have been killed, UN confirms

The UN’s Human Rights office has said that 364 civilians have been killed since the start of the Russian invasion.

The UN also confirmed that 25 children had been killed with 759 others injured.

The real figures are likely to be “considerably higher” it was added.

“Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multi-launch rocket systems, and missile and air strikes,” the office says.

‘The British people stand fully behind the Ukrainian people’

Boris Johnson has told President Volodymyr Zelensky that “the British people stand fully behind the Ukrainian people” when the pair spoke on Sunday afternoon.

Downing Street said the Prime Minister told his counterpart that “international support and admiration for President Zelensky and the whole of Ukraine grows every day”.

A No 10 spokesperson said: “The leaders discussed the increasing threat Russia’s barbaric attacks pose to Ukrainian civilians and the Prime Minister underlined the UK’s determination to ensure Putin fails.”

The PM spoke about the support offered by the UK and his six-point plan outlined over the weekend, and the spokesperson said: “The leaders discussed the urgent needs of the Ukrainian armed forces and the Prime Minister undertook to work with partners to provide further defensive equipment.

“The Prime Minister and President Zelensky also discussed the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Ukraine, precipitated by Russia’s indiscriminate attacks and ceasefire breaches.”

Mr Johnson also promised to continue to press other countries to take further action to remove Russia from the Swift payment system.

“The leaders agreed to continue speaking to ensure the wishes of the Ukrainian people are at the forefront of the international response going forward,” the spokesperson said.

Ukraine & Russia Latest updates

Forces ‘preparing to bombard Odessa’

Ukraine’s President Zelensky has warned that Russian forces are preparing to bombard the southern city of Odesa.

There are reports of multiple military checkpoints in the city, but the streets reportedly ‘remain calm and largely empty’.

Almost one million people live in the historic port city on the Black Sea coast.

Russian forces have made progress in southern Ukraine since their invasion.

Russian forces ‘fire rockets at nuclear reactor’ in Kharkiv

RUSSIAN forces have been accused of firing rockets at a facility with a nuclear reactor amid fears of a radiation catastrophe in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin’s army are said to have fired unguided rockets at the Kharkiv Institute of Physics and Technology.

Ukraine’s national security service warned the attack on the facility could lead to a “large scale ecological disaster”.

The service announced that the Russians were firing at the facility from Grad missile launchers.

And the attack comes just days after idiotic Russian forces shelled Europe’s largest nuclear power plant – setting it on fire.

Kharkiv’s institute is home to a facility called Neutron Source which contains a nuclear reactor used for research.

PM unveils plan as ‘Putin must fail’

Boris Johnson has launched a six point plan as he demands ‘Putin must fail’ in his invasion of Ukraine.

He has drawn up a package of aid and sanctions and urges partners to match words with action.

Putin & Macron’s phone call lasts over an hour

Russian President Vladimir Putin held talks with French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Russian state television is reporting. 

According to reports, the phone call lasted one hour and 45 minutes.

Last time the pair spoke was earlier this week, with the French saying there was nothing encouraging in their conversation.

Thanks for reading

Louis Allwood here, signing off for the evening.

Thanks for following our live coverage of the ongoing war in Ukraine.

Pictured: Civilians arrive at Ukrainian-Polish border

Images below show civilians from Ukraine arrive at the crossing Ukrainian-Polish border in Medyka, Poland.

As they were greeted at the border, volunteers were on hand with food and clothes.

Red Cross on Mariupol evacuation being halted

The Red Cross said the evacuation of residents from Mariupol was halted for a second day as fighting continued.

Mariupol city council also backed this, saying the evacuation was not possible due to Russian shelling.

In a statement, the Red Cross said: “Amid devastating scenes of human suffering in Mariupol, a second attempt today to start evacuating an estimated 200,000 people out of the city came to a halt. The failed attempts yesterday and today underscore the absence of a detailed and functioning agreement between the parties to the conflict.

“Today, our teams began opening up the evacuation route from Mariupol before hostilities resumed. Our teams remain in Mariupol and are ready to help facilitate further attempts if the parties reach a detailed agreement, which is for the parties alone to implement and respect.”