The Russian President looks set to unleash war on his western neighbour, as tensions continue to escalate. US defence analysts estimate up to 190,000 troops are currently gathered on Ukraine’s borders to the north, east and south. More than 40 percent are now believed to have adopted attack positions, according to security officials.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian joint forces command reported that Russian-backed separatists had targeted Ukrainian citizens with intense shelling on Saturday morning.
As the world holds its breath, US president Joe Biden said he was convinced that the Russian strongman was set to invade.
In an emotional tweet, Olexander Scherba demanded that the Russian tyrant face justice for his aggression.
The former Ukrainian ambassador to Austria wrote: “If Putin doesn’t face justice after 2022 – then there is no justice. #MSC2022”
He criticised Western leaders for having cosied up to the Russian leader, accusing them of playing Putin’s game.
Scherba said: “Now we see how the evil works. The evil, whose hand the world leaders shook.
“In whose eyes they looked. To whose Victory Day parades they travelled.
“Whose Nord Streams they built. You played his game.”
The Russian war in Ukraine has been going on for eight years since Putin forcibly annexed Crimea.
Despite attempts to broker a cease fire through the Minsk accords, sporadic fighting has persisted.
It is estimated that at least 14,000 people have lost their lives due to the current conflict – a number that could soon become much more.
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They also believe that his absence could help facilitate a coup d’état.
The US is concerned that the Ukrainian President would not be able to coordinate Ukraine’s military response if he happened to be out of the country the moment an attack was mounted.
Western leaders continued to issue last-minute appeals to the Russian President to pull back from the brink of war.
Olaf Scholz, the German Chancellor, said it was unacceptable that Europe was facing a war over an issue that was not even an agenda – namely Ukraine’s membership of NATO.
He said: “It will not happen the next time. It will not happen in the near time. Putin knows that.”