Battle stations: Ukraine declares a state of emergency for ENTIRE country after Putin praised his army's 'readiness' and boasted of hypersonic weapons as Liz Truss warns invasion of Kiev is 'highly likely'

 Ukraine has declared a state of emergency across the entire country today with citizens ordered out of Russia and military reserves called up as Kiev prepares to face down the full might of a Russian invasion. The move, approved by the country's security council, grants President Volodymyr Zelensky extra powers such as the ability to declare snap curfews and marks - for the first time - a direct acknowledgement from Kiev that Russia could now attack at any time in virtually any part of Ukraine, and not just rebel held areas. 

All military reservists aged 18 to 60 - more than 200,000 people - have been called up while Ukraine's border guard service has restricted movement around border zones, prohibited video recordings of its forces and banned the use of drones. Three million Ukrainians living in Russian have also been ordered to leave. 

Ukrainian citizens were also given the power to bear arms - effectively activating civilian brigades who have been training with the national guard in recent weeks. If an invasion does take place then martial law will be imposed, the head of the security council said. The state of emergency will last for 30 days, but could be extended.

It came after Vladimir Putin gave a sabre-rattling address to his troops this morning to mark Defender of the Fatherland Day, praising their 'battle readiness' while saying he is assured that they will fight to defend Russian security interests - which he called 'non-negotiable'. Russia also began evacuating staff from its Kiev embassy, with the flag reportedly lowered over the building.  

Ukraine's security agency also claimed 45,000 plastic body bags have now been ordered to the Russian frontlines, giving the first hint of the amount lives Putin is willing to sacrifice to get what he wants - after Joe Biden said supplies of blood for transfusions have also been brought in. 

UK Defence Secretary Liz Truss warned today that Putin is 'hell-bent' on a full-scale invasion of Ukraine with a direct attack on the capital of Kiev 'highly likely' to be in his plans, while Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison predicted the attack is 'likely to occur within the next 24 hours'.

Boris Johnson today vowed more weapons for Ukraine in light of the 'increasingly threatening behaviour' from Russia and pledged tougher sanctions after his first round was criticised as 'tepid'. The EU was today finalising far-reaching sanctions targeted at Russia's defence secretary, the commanders of its Black Sea fleet and Air Force, all 351 members of the state Duma, and prominent propagandists 

It comes after Biden imposed a first round of American sanctions late Tuesday, warning that an invasion of Ukraine is now underway but could quickly ramp up into all-out war.

'This is the beginning of a Russian invasion. You don't need blood unless you're planning to start a war,' Biden declared as he levied sanctions against Russian banks and promised harsher measures to come.

Elsewhere today...

• Fighting along the frontline between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian rebels killed one Ukrainian soldier and wounded six others overnight, with a house also hit
• Russia claimed to have foiled a terror attack against a church in occupied Crimea and arrested six Russian citizens it said were members of a banned 'right-wing' group, in what is feared to be another false flag
• Ukrainian troops along the frontline with separatists reported receiving text messages warning of a Russian attack and telling them to abandon their posts
• The EU was poised to sanction Russia's defence secretary, the head of its armed forces, the commander of its Black Sea fleet, all 351 members of the state Duma, prominent propagandists and a 'troll factory' in Moscow
• Satellite images and photos from the ground showed that Russia continues to move troops to the borders, including newly-arrived troops in Belarus, close to Kiev 
• Denis Pushilin, leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, said conscription of men in the region is gathering pace to counter 'Ukrainian threats' and he is sure of support from 'big Russia' 
  Vladimir Putin praised the battle readiness of his armies and boasted of developing hypersonic weapons as he called Russia's security interests 'non-negotiable' in an address to mark Defender of the Fatherland Day today

  

  Putin has recognised two areas in eastern Ukraine as independent and authorised Russian troops to go in on 'peacekeeping' missions. Rebels already hold part of that territory (in red) but Putin has recognised a much-wider region (yellow) amid fears he will now try to seize it. There are also fears he is preparing to attack Kharkiv in Ukraine (green) after massing forces nearby 

  

  Russia has up to 190,000 troops backed by tanks, artillery, fighter jets and bombers surrounding Ukraine from three sides, as the US warns of a full-scale invasion of the whole country including an attack on the capital, Kiev

  

  A Russian attack on Ukraine could start in the Donbass region (top right) with attempts to expand rebel-held areas, that could either be in coordination with or before a much wider assault on the entire country (top right). Should the fighting spill over Ukraine's borders, it could drag in NATO forces stationed in Europe (bottom centre)

  Russian armoured vehicles and artillery pieces are seen at a rail yard in the Rostov-on-Don region, close to the border with Ukraine, as the country was today put on a war footing

  

  Russian troops in full packs are seen marching through mud at a rail yard in Rostov-on-Don, in southern Russia close to the frontline with Ukraine, with armoured vehicles loaded on to train carriages nearby

  

  Russian armored vehicles are pictured at a railway station in the Rostov region, amid fears Putin is about to attack

  

  Russia's lap-dog parliament yesterday handed Putin the necessary authority to use the country's military abroad, paving the way for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine (file image, Russian troops on training exercises)Ms Truss sought to defend the UK's own sanctions - criticised yesterday for not being harsh enough - by insisting that 'nothing' is off the table should Putin decide to escalate. 

  'We've been very clear that we're going to limit Russian access to British markets,' Truss told Sky. 'We're going to stop the Russian government with raising sovereign debt in the United Kingdom.'

  'There will be even more tough sanctions on key oligarchs, on key organisations in Russia, limiting Russia's access to the financial markets, if there is a full scale invasion of Ukraine,' Truss said.

  Separately, US Secretary of State Antony Bliken announced that he has called off a high-level summit with Russian Foreign Secretary Sergei Lavrov scheduled for Thursday, saying it 'does not make sense' to go ahead with peace negotiations when an invasion is already underway.

  Fighting also escalated along the frontlines between separatist forces and Ukraine's men overnight, with one Ukrainian soldier killed and six injured in shelling. A house was also hit in the village of Muratovo. 

  Tensions between East and West dramatically ratcheted up Tuesday as Putin was granted authority by Russia's lap-dog parliament to use military force abroad, a move that paves the way for him to attack Ukraine.

  Hours earlier, he had given a speech in which he made expansionist claims about rebel-held territory in Ukraine's east - saying Russia has recognised areas currently held by Ukrainian troops as belonging to the separatists.

  That has sparked fears he is preparing for a land-grab of that territory under the auspices of a 'peacekeeping' mission to the region which could extend even beyond those boundaries and all the way to the city of Kharkiv - where several major Ukrainian military bases are located.

  Russian tanks and armoured vehicles have been spotted hiding in civilian areas and the tree lines of forests in several areas just to the north of Kharkiv in recent days, within just three miles of the border. 

  Putin has up to 190,000 troops backed by thousands of tanks and artillery units, hundreds of fighter jets and dozens of bombers encircling Ukraine from three sides - with up to 10,000 men already thought to have moved into rebel-held areas of Donetsk and Luhansk on the current frontlines with Ukrainian forces.  

  Western nations have tried to present a united front in the face of the invasion, with more than two dozen European Union members unanimously agreeing to levy their own initial set of sanctions against Russian officials. 

  Germany also said it was halting the process of certifying the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia - a lucrative deal long sought by Moscow but criticized by the U.S. for increasing Europe's reliance on Russian energy.

  The U.S., meanwhile, moved to cut off Russia's government from Western finance, sanctioning two of its banks and blocking it from trading in its debt on American and European markets. 

  The administration's actions hit civilian leaders in Russia's leadership hierarchy and two Russian banks considered especially close to the Kremlin and Russia's military, with more than $80 billion in assets. 

  That includes freezing all of those banks' assets under U.S. jurisdictions.TikTok allegedly shows accumulation of Russian military vehicles