Putin’s ‘Terminator’ tanks move 2 miles from Ukraine as US warns ‘tens of thousands could die in DAYS’ if Russia invades

 RUSSIA has moved 'Terminator' tanks to just two miles from the Ukrainian border, new video shows.

The move is the latest firepower being massed by Vladimir Putin and it comes as the US has warned "tens of thousands" could die in the days following an invasion.

Footage shows Terminator tanks being moved towards the Ukrainian border
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Footage shows Terminator tanks being moved towards the Ukrainian borderCredit: East2West
New satellite pictures are said to show several Russian troop camps on the Ukraine border
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New satellite pictures are said to show several Russian troop camps on the Ukraine borderCredit: CNES 2020
Russian trucks and tanks were seen marked with the Z symbol
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Russian trucks and tanks were seen marked with the Z symbol
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Footage shows convoys of Russian military hardware, including missiles and tanks, being moved to the Belgorod border region.

Terminator tanks, which are bristling with weapons and designed for fighting in cities, are seen in a video for the first time heading towards the border on a train.

They are capable of hitting lightly-armoured enemy vehicles, other tanks and even helicopters and low-flying aircraft.

The short-range all-weather Tor air defence system was visible, while a Russian mobile military hospital is seen in Shebekino, near the frontier.

A caption on the video says: "Horror…Whatever will come next?"

According to grim US intelligence reports, 200,000 troops and 500 warplanes are withing striking distance for an invasion at anytime.

American officials who have obtained Russian planning they say calls for an "overwhelming intensity of fire" that would result in mass carnage.

“We were told to expect tens of thousands of casualties in the opening days," one unnamed official said, the New York Times reports.Separately, Russia staged major naval war games in the eastern Mediterranean in a possible bid to stretch Nato resources as Moscow closed much of the Azov Sea, close to Ukraine, for drills. 

It comes as new satellite images are said to show Russian battle groups heading to the border and Nato was warned cities across Ukraine could be blitzed in the "imminent" attack.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Moscow's decision to keep the force "indefinitely" made him more worried than ever.

He said: "Everything we are seeing suggests that this is dead serious, that we are on the brink of an invasion.

"Until the tanks are actually rolling, and the planes are flying, we will use every opportunity and every minute we have to see if diplomacy can still dissuade President Putin from carrying this forward."

French President Emmanuel Macron pleaded for peace in a two-hour phone call with Mr Putin last night.

Early today Mr Macron's office said Putin and US President Joe Biden had agreed in principle to a summit on the crisis, but it "can only be held if Russia does not invade Ukraine".

But the Kremlin blamed Kyiv for the escalating crisis, with a chilling statement on "provocations of the Ukrainian security forces" after fresh clashes in the disputed Donbas region.

Nato fears Putin will use alleged attacks in Russian-speaking areas as an excuse for a "fully fledged" assault and occupation of the whole country.

Boris Johnson later spoke to Mr Macron and discussed his call with Putin.

Downing Street said they "underscored the need for President Putin to step back from his current threats" and "agreed next week would be crucial for diplomacy."

Earlier it was reported Russia has issued orders to low-level battle commanders stationed with a huge force on Ukraine's eastern frontier.

Washington spies reckon 75 per cent of the conventional Russian Army is within striking range along with 500 fighter and fighter-bomber aircraft.

US intelligence now believe the order from Russian high command has been given to "proceed with an invasion", reports CBS.

Russian forces outnumber the Ukrainian defenders, intelligence sources said reported CNN, as the bulk of Putin's armies are now within 50 miles of the border.


It comes as:


The US has also shared intelligence with allies that not only Kyiv but cities across Ukraine could be targeted including Kharkiv, Odessa and Kherson, reports Bloomberg.

It comes after pictures showed Russian tanks and armoured vehicles marked with a letter “Z” moving towards Ukraine’s border today.

In yet another ominous sign of looming war, vehicles were understood to have been marked with distinctive white letter inside a square box to avoid friendly fire once action begins.

It mirrors UK and US tactics in the First Gulf War when the allied invasion forces sent to liberate Kuwait marked vehicles with a distinctive upturned chevron.

After weeks of tensions, frantic diplomatic efforts continued to avert what Mr Johnson warned would be the "biggest war in Europe since 1945".

Putin is seen as having an axe aimed squarely at Kyiv - and the West is urging him to step back from the brink.

He has 200,000 troops - along with tanks, artillery and armoured vehicles - surrounding Ukraine.

"The intelligence says Russian troops have received orders now to proceed with the invasion," said CBS national security reporter David Martin on Face The Nation.

"Not only are they moving up closer and closer to the border into these attack positions.

"But the commanders on the ground are making specific plans for how they would maneuver in their sector of the battlefield."

Earlier Mr Johnson warned "illogical" Putin is "heading for disaster" and faces a "bloody" war if he goes ahead with the feared invasion.

And foreign secretary Liz Truss warned that the Baltic states could be next on Putin's hit list.

US President Joe Biden committed to meeting with Putin "at any time" to stop war, and meanwhile Vice President Kamala Harris said she hoped there was a "diplomatic path".

"We are talking about the real possibility of war in Europe," she said.

🔵 Read our Russia Ukraine live blog for the latest updates

Russia announced it was keeping 30,000 troops "indefinitely" in Belarus, three hours' drive north of Kyiv, going back on a promise they would leave after recent drills.

Generals denied there was any such promise, and said they had extended joint exercises in the region.

Putin also has ongoing naval drills off the coast in the Black Sea and in the Sea of Azov. At least ten Russian warships were seen passing Crimea on Sunday.

Mr Johnson has threatened to impose economic sanctions on Russia should it invade Ukraine - but said it "may not be enough".

The PM said: "We have to accept at the moment that Vladimir Putin is possibly thinking illogically about this and doesn't see the disaster ahead.

"I think it's vital for us all now to get over what a catastrophe it would be for Russia. I believe it will be a bloody conflict."

Finnish president Sauli Niinistö warned the world situation is now "almost colder" than during the heights of the Cold War.

Another battle group deployment, near Belgorod, was said to be on the move towards Ukraine
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Another battle group deployment, near Belgorod, was said to be on the move towards UkraineCredit: Reuters
Another satellite image shows a battle group with helicopters and troops in Valuyki, Russia
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Another satellite image shows a battle group with helicopters and troops in Valuyki, RussiaCredit: Reuters
A member of the Georgian Legion, a paramilitary unit formed to fight against the Russians, shows how to use a gun to civilians
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A member of the Georgian Legion, a paramilitary unit formed to fight against the Russians, shows how to use a gun to civiliansCredit: AP
Russian tanks move during military drills in Belarus as tensions rage
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Russian tanks move during military drills in Belarus as tensions rageCredit: AP
Civilians train to defend themselves from Russia in Ukraine
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Civilians train to defend themselves from Russia in UkraineCredit: AP
People evacuated from the separatist regions in eastern Ukraine
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People evacuated from the separatist regions in eastern UkraineCredit: Reuters
Russian marines carry out war games in Belarus
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Russian marines carry out war games in BelarusCredit: AP

Putin has been accused of trying to stage a fake crisis in a pro-Russian breakaway eastern region of Ukraine to give a bogus excuse to attack.

All eyes are now are now on the relatively small region, which is currently under the control of two pro-Russian rebel groups, the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR).

The two separatist regions are accusing Ukraine of planning a major offensive against them.

Russian officials have also said that Crimean "volunteers" are moving in to help protect the LPR and DPR.

Shelling has been reported across the region as Ukraine, Russia and the separatists point fingers at each other over the clashes.

Both separatist groups ordered mass evacuations on Friday as they accused Ukraine of planning a wide scale attack - including alleging Kyiv was going to blow up a chemical plant.

And now both have also declared the "full mobilisation" of their military forces.

It is feared that Putin could use the rising chaos in the Donbas as pretext to move in his troops.

Western intelligence officials have repeatedly suggested that Vlad could use a "false flag" - a staged attack or threat to give them an excuse to invade.

Russia has also been stoking accusations of "genocide", with Russia’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claiming that life in the Donbas is “hell” for ethnic Russians.

In a new suspected stunt, the pro-Moscow rebel authority in Donetsk claimed to have detained a Ukrainian spy who was said to be confessing to Kyiv’s aims to overrun the Donbas.

Named Anton Matsanyuk, he  “confirmed that Kyiv intends to use all its strike power in the forcible seizure of the Donbas," said a report. 

The alleged saboteur conveniently confirmed a plan touted in recent days by Russia of a Ukrainian plan to invade Donetsk and Luhansk. 

Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said: "Every indication indicates that Russia is planning a full-fledged attack against Ukraine.

"We all agree that the risk of an attack is very high."

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