Brit hoping to flee Ukraine with family faces 'worried and anxious' wait

A British man living in Ukraine has described feeling “worried and anxious” as his Ukrainian wife and son await approval from the UK visa office to flee the country, while another has vowed to “stick by Ukraine” through a possible Russian invasion.

Mounting tensions are nearly at breaking point as Boris Johnson warned that Vladimir Putin appears “bent on a full-scale invasion” and vowed to swiftly introduce the “first barrage” of sanctions against Russia.

This comes as Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for recognition of Crimea as part of Russia, a halt to weapons shipments to Ukraine and an end to Ukraine’s Nato bid.

The Russian leader has called for the “demilitarisation” of Ukraine to end the current crisis.

Speaking at the news conference in Moscow, the Russian leader said the government in Kyiv needed to give up its hopes of joining Nato.

“This would mean that the Western leaders would not lose face,” he said, speaking through an interpreter.

Mr Putin re-iterated his concerns that Ukraine could develop nuclear weapons and said “demilitarisation” was the “only objective controlling factor that we could observe and have a proper reaction to”.

He added: “Even the appearance of tactical nuclear weaponry in Ukraine, for us this means a strategic threat.”