Boris Johnson doubles forces near freezing Ukraine border to crank up pressure on Putin

BORIS Johnson is ordering 1,000 British troops to prepare for a massive ­military showdown with Vladimir Putin in icy cold Eastern Europe. The PM vowed to protect Ukraine from Russian aggression by land, sea and air by bolstering support for Nato. APBritain is responding to Russia’s threat to invade Ukraine by sending troops to Eastern Europe[/caption] He will double the number of UK Armed Forces in Eastern Europe within days — supported by RAF fighter jets, rocket launchers and warships. Mr Johnson announced the deployment as 130,000 Russian troops amassed on the border with Ukraine. America has warned they pose the biggest threat to peace since World War Two amid fears Russia could invade within days. They are armed with a chilling array of weapons including high-tech electromagnetic pulse cannons that can paralyse opposing forces. The devices fire high-energy micro-waves capable of frying the electronics of an enemy plane, immobilising tanks and communications and command systems. They work by heating up the target to critical temperatures within a fraction of a second. A defence source said: “This is the stuff that in the past was just science fiction. It’s a highly advanced cross between cyber and conventional warfare, and is capable of taking out enemy devices from six miles away within seconds.” Britain is sending reinforcements to bolster Ukraine’s defences Mr Johnson hopes the Western build-up — the biggest in the region since the Cold War — will send a clear message to the Kremlin to back off. Writing in today’s Sun on Sunday, the PM says: “The land, sea and air from Cyprus in the South to Estonia in the North will be guarded by the British Armed Forces. “We have done all this not as a show of hostility towards Russia but as a demonstration that we will always stand up for freedom and democracy in the face of aggression.” Most read in The Sun DOCTOR'S ORDERS Urgent warning to all Brits who had Omicron in December PARKING MAD Brits face 'avalanche' of £70 parking fines after new rules come into force AIR IT OUT Woman shares clever trick to dry clothes with no tumble dryer in under two hours 'MORTIFIED' Top telly couple call in lawyers after X-rated sex tape leaks online mixing it up Little Mix's Perrie Edwards looks unbelievable as she poses in skimpy bikini WALK IT OFF Walker hit with THREE-GAME Champions League ban for kick on Andre Silva The PM warned President Putin that a package of sanctions and other measures would be enacted “the moment the first Russian toe cap crosses further into Ukraine”. He asked military and security chiefs to step up defensive efforts in Europe after an intelligence briefing on the Russian threat. And he announced he will deploy 1,000 troops across Europe this week to protect Nato’s eastern and northern flanks in the region. They are in addition to the 900 already based in Estonia, 100 in Ukraine and 150 in Poland. The PM is also sending an RAF squadron of fighter jets to patrol Romanian and Bulgarian airspace. They will be backed up by two Royal Navy warships — a Type 45 destroyer and an offshore patrol vessel — which are already heading for the Black Sea. Other British hardware drafted into the Baltic region will include a fleet of Apache attack helicopters and a battery of Deep Fire rocket launchers in Estonia. The PM said: “This package will send a clear message to the Kremlin — we will not tolerate their destabilising activity, and we will always stand with our Nato allies in the face of Russian hostility. “If President Putin chooses a path of bloodshed and destruction, it will be a tragedy for Europe. “Ukraine must be free to choose its own future. “I have ordered our Armed Forces to prepare to deploy across Europe next week, ensuring we are able to support our Nato allies on land, at sea and in the air.” The PM has previously stressed that talking Russia down from the brink of war remains his top priority. He has vowed to step up diplomatic efforts to work in tandem with a massive military show of strength. This week he will spell out the dire consequences of invading Ukraine in a phone call with President Putin. And he will make a trip to the region to relay that message in person in the coming days, while Foreign Secretary Liz Truss and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace will be sent to Moscow for talks with their counterparts. Mr Wallace is expected to travel to meet Balkan partners in ­Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia and the Czech Republic this week. A No 10 source said the Prime Minister had consistently told partners that without a successful combination of deterrence and diplomacy, thousands of lives will be lost on both sides of the border. The PM discussed diplomatic tactics and sanctions options with Ms Truss last week. She is expected to announced a toughening of her sanctions regime to MPs tomorrow. It is believed it will target Russia’s strategic and financial interests. Britain will also turn up the heat on Moscow at the UN’s Security Council in New York tomorrow. Pressure will be piled on Russia to thrash out its concerns among diplomats rather than through military action. The UK will use the meeting to expose Russia’s “flawed narrative” by presenting all the facts. Labour backed the deployment but accused the Prime Minister of “playing catch-up” with other world leaders. Shadow defence secretary John Healey said: “The UK must do everything to face down Russian aggression through diplomacy and deterrence. “Labour has called for widespread and hard-hitting sanctions to cut Russian access to the international financial system. “It is in the Government’s gift to reform Companies House to crack down on shell companies; to impose a register of overseas entities to lift the veil on who owns property and assets in the UK; and to introduce tougher regulation on political donations. “But the Prime Minister is playing catch-up to other world leaders rather than leading from the front. “The UK must play our part in maintaining the international unity needed in support of Ukraine, by creating the toughest package of possible sanctions. “This Conservative government is paralysed by a mess of its own making and in this case it is our allies in Ukraine and our position on the global stage that risk paying the price.” Dad's army v Vlad's army by Nick Parker, Chief Foreign Correspondentat Senkivka border crossing MUMS, dads and grandads in Ukraine pledged to fight Vladimir Putin’s 127,000-strong army to the death yesterday — as they trained for war in tracksuits with wooden replica rifles. About 660 volunteers assembled for military drills in abandoned railway sidings outside capital Kiev. The Self Defence Force cut a ­Dad’s Army dash as their ­ragtag ranks lined up in snow flurries in sportswear and winter coats. But commanders vowed they would be fully armed and ready within weeks. Kiev lawyer Natalia was among a handful of mums training with weapons for the first time. She said: “I’d normally be out shopping with my two daughters on Saturday, or at the park or a museum. “But I’m here because I need to learn how to protect myself and my family if the Russians invade. “I’m a working mother and when I was training as a lawyer I never imagined I would be a soldier today.” Grandfather and IT worker Vasily Nazarov, 61, said: “I may be old and I may have no military experience but I will do all I can. The mission is simple — to stop Putin in his tracks and stop his troops taking our territory. We have to fight back.” Logistics company boss Mykhailo Kailo, 44, completed 12 months of military service 20 years ago. The dad-of-two said: “We have been at war with ­Russia’s allies in the east for seven years and are being well trained by people with battle experience. “Our motivation is high because we are fighting for our way of life and more and more people like me are joining every day.” His pal, Andrii Yudin, a 42-year-old Kiev-based manager for a German ­biotechnical business, had swapped his business suit for a Ukrainian Army camouflage uniform. The dad-of-two said: “We know that it will be a tough, hard fight and that we may die in battle. But we cannot do nothing and let Russia walk over us. We must fight back.” Dozens of rookies are joining the force every day. Once trained, they will link up with regular army units or join an urban guerilla war to tie up Russian forces in bloody house-to-house battles. First Lieutenant Andrii Poltorak, an experienced Ukraine Army reservist, is training the volunteers. He said: “The recruits are at a basic level of training but within two months they could be ready to fight. “It is now becoming much more urgent for us to recruit as many people as possible to protect our country. “It’s good to see so many answering the call.” APUkrainians say their motivation to beat Putin is their biggest weapon[/caption] APUkrainians are prepared to fight even though they lack equipment[/caption]