‘Very, very bad signal’ to Ukrainians as fears of a Russian invasion mount

Australia has closed its embassy in Kiev as intelligence officials warn Russian troops could now invade at any time.

There are more than 130,000 Russian troops along the Ukrainian border and Russian soldiers are conducting military exercises in neighbouring Belarus.

Global affairs analyst in Kiev, Michael Bociurkiw, says “the only person who really knows what’s going to happen is Mr Putin himself”.

But if he’s ever going to launch an expansionist bid, now is when Russian President Vladimir Putin would do it.

“He has indicated some time ago he would like to redraw the map of the former Soviet Union … he’s a bit of an elderly man now, 70+, he’s a legacy builder… if he’s going to make a move it’s going to be now,” he told Ross and Russel.

“He knows very well the West is divided, he knows Ukraine is vulnerable right now, and he definitely knows many Western countries will not put soldiers on the ground here.”

Mr Bociurkiw says the withdrawal of Australian, Canadian and United States officials on the ground in Kiev sends a “very, very bad signal” to Ukrainians.

“How can you possibly implement your programs, how can you pick up the pieces if the worst happens when you’re not here?,” he said.

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Image: Civilian participants in a Kyiv Territorial Defence unit train on a Saturday in a forest on January 22, 2022 in Kyiv, Ukraine – Sean Gallup/Getty Images