Richard Barrons: Last News

Vladimir Putin will officially declare his invasion of Ukraine a war next week, according to a former British Army commander. When troops first moved into Ukraine in February the Russian President declared it a "special military operation".

President Volodymyr Zelensky, Russia has unleashed a band of mercenaries renowned for war atrocities known as the Wagner Group into the conflict.While the world has marvelled at the brave Ukrainian resistance to the Russian invasion, Vladimir Putin has quietly slipped the elite group of killers into the country with President Zelensky their number one target.The shadowy organisation is believed to be owned by Putin's close friend Dmitry Utkin and has served as a private military in many of the world's bloodiest conflicts including Syria and the 2014 Donbas conflict. Perhaps in a bid to hammer home that they're the bad guys, the group's insignia bears a skull in the crosshairs of a gun - nice.

Russian armada has been spotted lurking in the Black Sea and advancing toward Odessa, with fears that the Ukrainian port is Vladimir Putin's next target.The Ukrainian defence ministry warned that invading forces could be prepping for a possible attack.A Russian invasion of Ukraine's third largest city could open a corridor to Kyiv from the south for Russian forces to move through.Landing ships capable of launching tanks and hundreds of troops ashore have been spotted off the coast.Following the sighting of Russian personnel in the Black Sea heading toward Odessa, the Ukrainian defence ministry released a statement.In the statement, the ministry said: "In the waters of the Black Sea, we are observing a landing detachment of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, consisting of four large landing ships accompanied by three rocket boats, advancing toward Odessa." Experts have warned that if Russia seize the port then they would be given a "chokehold" on Ukraine's economy, with comparisons made to the UK losing Dover. General Sir Richard Barrons, a former military chief, said the city was a "big prize" in the Russian invasion.

Get the day's biggest stories sent direct to your inbox so you never miss a thing