A convoy of Russian armored vehicles moves along a highway in Crimea, Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. Associated Press
- Sajid Javid, a senior UK minister, said Tuesday that "the invasion of Ukraine has begun".
- It followed Vladimir Putin ordering soldiers into the separatist-held east of the country.
- Boris Johnson confirmed the "first barrage of UK economic sanctions" will be unveiled today.
Russia's "invasion of Ukraine has begun", one of the most senior ministers in Boris Johnson's government said this morning, after President Vladimir Putin ordered troops over the border.
Sajid Javid, the Health Secretary, told Sky News the West was "waking up to a very dark day" after the Russia ordered troops to separatist-held regions Ukraine's Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
"We have seen that Putin has recognised breakaway eastern regions in Ukraine and from the reports we can already tell that he has sent in tanks and troops," he added.
"From that you can conclude that the invasion of Ukraine has begun."
Not long after, Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed the "first barrage of UK economic sanctions against Russia" would be unveiled later on Tuesday.
The UK has yet to say which individuals or organisations would be sanctioned, which UK government sources said was to maximise their effectiveness when announced.
Johnson stopped short of calling Monday night's move an "invasion", saying instead that Putin is "bent on a full scale invasion".
US officials also did not immediately term the latest move from Russia to be a "further invasion," a form of words meant to acknowledge the Russian annexation since 2014 of Ukraine's Crimea peninsula.
https://www.businessinsider.com/russia-invasion-of-ukraine-has-begun-says-uk-minister-javid-2022-2
