Ukraine: UK could be forced into war with Russia, warns ex-army chief

Watch: No-fly zone 'would mean war with Russia', warns ex-Army chief

The UK could be forced into making a decision later this week that would effectively see it at war with Russia, a former British army chief has warned.

General Sir Richard Barrons, ex-commander of the UK’s Strategic Command, said the tide of public opinion, appalled at what is happening in Ukraine, could sway the government into backing more decisive measures if frustrated Russian commanders resort to more devastating tactics.

On Tuesday, it emerged a huge Russian armoured column was bearing down on Kyiv. That followed the lethal shelling of civilian areas in Ukraine's second largest city Kharkiv.

The shelling of Kharkiv's city centre intensified accusations of war crimes aimed at Putin.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has called on the West to impose a no-fly zone over his country to protect his citizens from Russian bombs.

Read more: 9 ways you can help Ukraine from the UK

The US government said such a move would draw it into a direct conflict with Russia.

“It would essentially mean the US military would be shooting down planes - Russian planes,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki, adding it would "potentially be war with Russia, which is something we are not planning to be a part of."

The UK has also ruled out a no-fly zone with Boris Johnson instead arguing that Britain must continue with “tightening the economic noose” around the Putin regime and providing further defensive support to Kyiv.

However, asked on BBC’s Newsnight programme on Monday about the potential enforcement of a no-fly zone, Sir Richard said: “The choice I think we’re going to have to make, if the Russian military doesn’t hold back, is we can either watch the slaughter of tens of thousands of Ukrainian citizens, or we’re going to have to find ways to do something about it that are more urgent and decisive than sanctions.

“I think this pressure will come, this debate will come this week if the Russian army unleashes its firepower on the civilian population.”

Watch moment major building blown to bits by Russian missile strike

He added: “It does mean war with Russia [but]... we might assert that this is war with Russia in Ukraine only.

On Tuesday, the UK’s Ministry of Defence (MoD) said Russian president Vladimir Putin’s forces had made “little progress” in their attempt to advance upon Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv.

A massive convoy of Russian forces, about 40 miles long, is advancing on Kyiv, satellite images have shown.

Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday that 70 of its soldiers were killed in a Russian artillery strike overnight in the north eastern city of Okhtyrka.

Sir Richard said: “By Wednesday, Russian heavy artillery will be around these Ukrainian cities, and they may be firing indiscriminately and destroying large chunks of a city and killing civilians.

“One of the issues for about Thursday or Friday of this week is how does public opinion in the UK and other countries react to seeing people who look and live like us being slaughtered.

“At that stage, I think there’ll be a different conversation led by public opinion about the application of Nato military, power perhaps through the sky and definitely against heavy weapons.”

Nearly a week since Moscow launched the war on its neighbour it has failed to capture a single major Ukrainian city after running into unexpectedly fierce resistance.

Read more: Britons ‘will feel economic pain over Russian sanctions’

Western countries fear that Russian commanders could now unleash the tactics they employed in Syria and Chechnya in recent decades, when they pulverised civilian areas, killing thousands, as they sent in their tanks.

US satellite company Maxar released pictures showing tanks and fuel trucks snaking along a highway from the north, bearing down on Kyiv along 40 miles (60 km) of highway.

"For the enemy, Kyiv is the key target," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who has remained in the capital rallying Ukrainians with regular video updates, said in his latest message overnight. "We did not let them break the defence of the capital, and they send saboteurs to us ... We will neutralise them all.

On Monday, Amnesty International condemned Russia’s reported use of cluster munitions in Ukraine, saying an attack on a pre-school “may constitute a war crime”.

The human rights charity said “a 220mm Uragan rocket dropped cluster munitions on the Sonechko nursery and kindergarten in the town of Okhtyrka in Sumy Oblast” on Friday.

It added: “The strike may constitute a war crime.”

Watch: Russian offensive to become 'more violent', says defence secretary