The U. S. is contemplating placing nuclear weapons in the U. K. in reaction to Russia’s growing risk.
The proposals would be kept at RAF Lakenheath in Suffolk, detailed in The Telegraph.
It says the Pentagon documents reveal contracts for a new facility and “show that the United States intends to place nuclear warheads three times stronger than the Hiroshima bomb at the air base. “
The newspaper claims that this would be the first time in 15 years that the United States would place nuclear weapons in the United Kingdom.
“Unredacted data from the US Department of Defense procurement database reveals plans for a ‘nuclear mission’ to ‘imminently’ take up position at RAF Lakenheath,” The Telegraph reports.
The nuclear weapons that could be at the base would be B61-12 gravity bombs, which can be deployed from fighter jets.
The Telegraph claims that this is a NATO program to “develop and modernize nuclear facilities” following the Russian invasion.
Reacting to the report, a Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: “It is a long-standing policy of the UK and NATO to verify or deny the presence of nuclear weapons at any given location. “
Russia’s investigative committee has released a video it claims shows Ukrainian prisoners of war boarding the military transport plane that went down on Tuesday.
The committee shared the video with the caption: “Footage of Ukrainian prisoners of war boarding an Il-76 that crashed in Belgorod region as a result of a terrorist attack. “
Both the Investigative Committee and Russian leader Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of attacking with an anti-aircraft missile.
Kiev has not proven whether this is or whether there were prisoners of war on board, but the government has cast doubt on the death toll, saying only five bodies were taken to a local morgue in Belgorod.
No location is indicated and there is no audio.
Sky News can’t see the video.
We have yet to get an official comment from Kiev on this matter, but we will provide you with more as soon as we have it.
Vladimir Putin made his first statements regarding the accident of the Il-76 plane that crashed on Tuesday.
He used his time to accuse Kiev of having intentionally or accidentally brought down the building.
“I don’t know if they did it by goal or by mistake, but it’s clear that they did it,” he said.
74 people, including 65 people who Russia say are Ukrainian PoWs, died in the crash, according to Moscow.
The Russian president claimed that French or American missiles had been used in the attack.
You can see his claims, which are unfounded and disputed in Ukraine, in the video below. . .
Volodymyr Zelenskyy says his country’s weapons production is on an “upward trend. “
This comes amid widespread reports that Ukraine is desperately seeking new batches of weapons and materials from the West, as Russia ramps up its battlefield ammunition.
Moscow is not only generating more weapons for its troops, but also external materials from its partners and allies, such as North Korea and Iran.
On the other hand, the West remains dithering over key deals to supply Ukraine with reserves for the Russian war machine.
Joe Biden’s new Ukraine aid package is stalled in Congress, with Radical Republicans refusing to accept it until internal immigration issues are resolved, while Hungary delays a similar European Union program.
President Zelenskyy said in his nighty address he held meetings with key government figures earlier today, which focused on “closing gaps, supplying the troops, agreements with partners, and domestic production”.
“It’s crucial to note that Ukrainian arms and ammunition production shows upward trends,” he said.
“I am grateful to the participants, to those who apply for our own roles in Ukraine,” he added.
By Deborah Haynes, Security & Defense Editor
Apparently how to hold it, a Ukrainian conscript swings an anti-tank weapon over his shoulder.
“Fire!” shouts an instructor.
Boom, the trainee, who appears to be in his 40s, fires a bullet from an icy hillside into an educational flat near the front line in eastern Ukraine.
Just a few months ago, he and an organization of new infantrymen were civilians.
Now they are about to fight Russia: real-life examples of the kind of service that, according to the head of the British army, the British public will have to be in a position to perform in the event of war.
Continued here. . .
Russia’s state investigative committee has released aerial footage of what it says is Il-76 crash site.
Graphic photographs show aircraft wreckage and what the committee says are the bodies of more than 60 Ukrainian prisoners of war who were to be exchanged for Russian prisoners.
The video showed a person’s dismembered hand, blurred to make a tattoo, as well as an amputated arm with tattoos.
The aircraft’s flight recorders had been recovered and delivered to Moscow laboratory for analysis, state news agency Tass reported.
The investigative committee accused Ukraine of attacking with an anti-aircraft missile.
Kyiv has not shown whether it was concerned or whether there were prisoners of war on board, but the government cast doubt on the death toll and said only five bodies had been transported to a local morgue in Belgorod.
Other officials said the crash cases recommend a planned act through Russia to undermine Ukraine and accused its security guards of asking senior Russian officials not to board the plane.
The Russian prime minister signed a decree simplifying medical examinations for new recruits who wish to enlist in the army.
“Previously, the examination was conducted in two stages: it included an initial examination at the place of registration and enlistment of the municipal army and a final examination at the regional workplace,” Russia’s official TASS news agency reported.
There will now be a review, according to the new legislation.
This is the latest in a series of measures taken by the Kremlin to try to facilitate the recruitment process, as Russia’s war in Ukraine continues.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree last December expanding the number of his troops by 15%, which the military says is due to similar “threats” to the Ukrainian conflict.
A 60-year-old woman has died and an 11-year-old boy has been injured after two waves of Russian missile and artillery strikes on the Donetsk region of Ukraine, officials have said.
The cities of Novogrodivka and Krasnohorivka, northwest and west of the city of Donetsk, respectively, were attacked twice: once during the night and again around 13:00. Today’s local time.
“An 11-year-old boy who was sleeping in his room was injured,” the prosecutor’s office said.
“A 60-year-old local resident received life-threatening injuries”, it said, after what was “probably barrel artillery” was fired by the Russians near her home.
They also shared photographs that purport to show the damage done to cities.
A bit of our interview with the former head of NATO, Lord Robertson.
Earlier this week, the outgoing head of the British Army, General Sir Patrick Saunders, warned that British men and women could be called up for military service in the event of war with Russia.
Sky News asked Lord Robertson if Britain might end up fighting Russia if Ukraine lost.
He said the alliance’s charter, which says an attack on one member is considered an attack on all, will “make sure that Vladimir Putin stands well off from there”.
But he added: “That doesn’t mean to say that he isn’t going to go in other directions as well. And ultimately, we’re going to be in the firing line.”
NATO threatens Russia
Lord Robertson said NATO “threatens Russia” and that the alliance is “purely defensive”.
“We are protecting the freedoms that we have been accustomed to since the creation of NATO,” he said. “But we want to make sure the whole population is involved. “
He explained that conscription is “exactly the debate to have, because conscription is not a smart way to identify defenses, although some generals are now starting to defend it. “
He added: “Recruits are useful. Vladimir Putin understood this very well.
“That’s why we want to make sure that our defense spending is at a moderate point relative to the kind of threats that we’re going to face in the future.
“If we want to protect Britain and deter aggression, then we will have to have a strong defence of this nation. “
Rishi Sunak will have to make a concrete “multi-year” commitment to Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression, a former NATO leader has said.
“[We have to] keep Ukraine on the most sensible timetable because they are fighting for us there,” Lord Robertson, a former NATO secretary general, told Sky News.
“What I need is a multi-year commitment,” he added, stating that “the only thing the Kremlin will pay attention to is how many years it will be with the Ukrainians. “
He said that the Russian invasion had “completely changed the [international] order” to which we were accustomed, and that if Vladimir Putin “manages to swallow a country of 44 million people in the center of Europe, where is he going to stop?
“He certainly is not going to stop with Ukraine.”
As a result, “the rest of us will be in danger as well, because he will be fuelled by any success that he has in Ukraine”.
He concluded: “So they’re fighting for us, and that’s why I believe that we need to be ramping up the production of weapons and of ammunition in this country in order to make sure that they get the equipment that they require at this time.”