As Prime Minister Boris Johnson presided over an emergency government response meeting over the Ukraine crisis on Tuesday, a senior British minister said that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has already begun and that Britain will impose sanctions on Russia.
After recognizing two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of troops, escalating a crisis that the West fears will escalate into a major war.
After Putin formally recognized the breakaway regions and ordered the deployment of Russian forces to “keep the peace,” a Reuters witness saw tanks and other military hardware moving through the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk.
Ukraine invasion has begun: Sajid Javid
Sajid Javid, the British Health Secretary, told Sky News, “You can conclude that the invasion of Ukraine has begun.” “The Russians, according to President Putin, have decided to attack Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” “As we have always said, we will impose sanctions,” he said. Britain has threatened to restrict Russian companies’ access to US dollars and British pounds, preventing them from raising capital in London and exposing the “Russian doll” of property and company ownership, according to Johnson.
Britain has not specified who will be subject to the sanctions but has stated that Russian oligarchs will have nowhere to hide. Russian banks, according to Johnson, could be among the targets. Johnson will announce sanctions in a statement to parliament, according to Javid. “I’m confident that we’ll tailor those sanctions to the individuals responsible for this flagrant violation of international law,” Javid said.