World

Hippos descended from a herd illegally imported by Pablo Escobar are to be declared an invasive species in Colombia. Within weeks, the Colombian government is planning to sign a declaration that will force officials to come up with a plan for how to control the hippopotamus population. The animals were brought into the country by

Russian military drills are “purely defensive” and “not a threat to any other country”, Vladimir Putin has said. The Russian president denied he was going to invade Ukraine following Western leaders warning an incursion is imminent as Moscow amasses more than 150,000 troops at the border. Talking at a news conference with Belarus President Alexander

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has agreed to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov late next week – provided Moscow doesn’t invade Ukraine. Efforts are continuing to prevent a conflict, amid fears that Russia is increasingly close to being able to mount an invasion. Russia wants guarantees from the West, including the assurance that

The West “blinked” and did not understand troops needed to be on the ground in Ukraine earlier this year and sanctions will only push Russia towards China, the chair of the defence committee has told Sky News. Tobias Ellwood, in Kyiv, told Kay Burley: “It would have taken five days to mobilise those forces, at

A Russian invasion of Ukraine would bring “massive consequences” for Moscow, the foreign secretary is set to warn Vladimir Putin during a speech in the Ukrainian capital. Liz Truss will visit Ukraine this week as part of continuing diplomatic efforts to avoid a war between Russia and its neighbour. It comes as a senior US

Russia will retaliate if new sanctions are imposed by Britain, according to the country’s foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov. UK ministers last week gained powers to impose tough new sanctions on Russian oligarchs and businesses. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the “very, very tough” package of sanctions is “ready to go” should Russia launch a

“All the hallmarks of a war crime.” That’s how the UN’s human rights monitor for Myanmar has described a mass killing that Sky News has been investigating. The massacre happened near Mo So in Kayah state on Christmas Eve, leaving at least 37 people dead. It’s an area which has seen heavy fighting between local

“Tell the people of Britain we are a civilised country, tell them we are European, tell them we aren’t Russian. God Save the Queen!” and with that Yulia Smagina bayed us farewell. We had spent the morning with this quite remarkably energetic and engaging woman as she looked for air raid shelters and bunkers that the

Russian President Vladimir Putin has insisted he “of course” does not want a war in Europe amid conflicting claims he had withdrawn some his country’s forces from Ukraine’s borders. Speaking at a news conference following talks with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Mr Putin stressed he was not keen on a military confrontation. He also suggested

Any incursion into Ukraine would result in a “protracted crisis” for Moscow with “far-reaching damage for both Russia and the world”, Boris Johnson and Joe Biden have warned. In a call between the UK prime minister and the US president, the leaders called on Western allies to “remain united”. But they also said there remained

Russia has more military firepower than Ukraine – covering the land, air and sea. It has 900,000 active military personnel across its forces, compared with Ukraine’s 196,600. It is reflective of a wider military dominance that stems from a Russian defence budget that dwarfs Ukraine’s. The imbalance is greatest at sea, with Russia having 10

Ukraine has insisted it still wants to be a member of NATO following confusion it might drop its calls in exchange for peace with Russia. Over the weekend, the Ukrainian ambassador to the UK said Kyiv was willing to be “flexible” over its goal to join the military alliance. Its insistence on wanting to be

Boris Johnson will hold talks with world leaders this week in an attempt to bring Russia “back from the brink” of war, as the Ukraine crisis enters a “critical juncture”. Number 10 warned on Sunday evening that its intelligence “suggests Russia could be a planning an invasion of Ukraine at any moment”, warning of “disastrous

Members of NATO will not tolerate the “bullying” of Ukraine by Russia but still seek a diplomatic solution amid rising tensions at the border, Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis has said. Speaking on Sky News’ Trevor Phillips On Sunday, Mr Lewis said the “threats” Russia is directing at Ukraine are “inappropriate”, adding that the UK

The defence secretary has warned it is “highly likely” that Vladimir Putin will order an attack on Ukraine, despite ongoing talks to avert a war. Ben Wallace also said there is a “whiff of Munich in the air” – an apparent reference to the agreement that allowed the German annexation of the Sudetenland in 1938,

British nationals in Ukraine have been warned to leave the country “immediately by any means possible” amid growing fears of Russian invasion. Junior defence minister James Heappey said on Saturday that British troops who are in Ukraine training local forces will depart this weekend and that Britons remaining in the country should not expect military

American officials will not be drawn publicly on their intelligence assessments, but their language has hardened. The degree of certainty with which they are now characterising Russia’s intensions towards Ukraine suggests that something has changed over the past 24 to 48 hours. There have been a curious range and number of meetings too about which

The little girl screamed: “My mother is without her head.” Sasha Dyka was only four in May 2017 when a shell exploded next to a house she had been visiting with her mother in the frontline town where they lived in eastern Ukraine. Read more: ‘They haven’t give up but they’re on their knees’ –

Boris Johnson has warned “the stakes are very high” amid ongoing fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine, and warned that the next few days are probably the “most dangerous moment”. Holding a news briefing with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, the prime minister said it was “time to de-escalate” adding: “We must resist, we

Boris Johnson has issued a warning to Russia that NATO member states will “draw lines in the snow” over the Ukraine crisis. The prime minister will fly to Belgium and Poland on Thursday as part of diplomatic efforts in the face of Russia’s build-up of thousands of troops on the border with its neighbour. In