Image source, Getty Images

Kenya's ambassador at the UN Security Council has condemned Russia's decision to send troops to Ukraine's breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, and to recognise them as independent states.

“The territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine stands breached. The charter of the United Nations continues to wilt under the relentless assault of the powerful," Martin Kimani said.

His statement, which has been mostly welcomed on Twitter, external, drew comparisons between Africa’s experience of colonialism and the Russia-Ukraine crisis.

“We understand that separated people may look yearningly across borders hoping for reintegration but Kenya rejects such a yearning from being pursued by force," he said.

Kimani's comments signal a marked change from Kenya's previous position at the UN Security Council, when it abstained from voting.

Gabon and Ghana, which are also non-permanent members of the body, also condemned Russia’s actions against Ukraine.

There are concerns that the cost of living could rise as a result of the crisis.

Kenya’s Business Daily Newspaper on Tuesday published a front-page headline, external: “How Russia-Ukraine row will hurt Kenyan homes”.

“Disruptions from any military action or sanctions could also see bread and wheat flour prices rally in Kenya, which relies on imported wheat from Ukraine and Russia,” the report said.

An article in South Africa’s Daily Maverick news site warned that a war in eastern Europe “will soon ripple and be felt in every village and town of South Africa and the world”, external.

Mali, whose growing alliance with Russia has worsened a diplomatic fallout with Western partners, is yet to officially comment on the imminent conflict.

Image source, PA Media

There's been a lot happening in the House of Commons this lunchtime as MPs discuss the situation in Ukraine. Here's a recap:

• Boris Johnson announced sanctions against Russian banks - Rossiya, IS Bank, General Bank, Promsvyazbank and the Black Sea Bank
• Three people have been hit with sanctions - Gennady Timchenko, Boris Rotenberg, and Igor Rotenberg
• It is inevitable there will be a "much bigger package" of sanctions as time goes on, the PM added
• Some MPs had warned the sanctions alone would not be enough - with Tobias Ellwood saying they could even pivot Russia closer to China
• Senior Labour MP Margaret Hodge said the sanctions would not affect "oligarchs close to Putin who do not hold an official position in a company"
• Johnson said no Nato country is currently considering sending combat troops to Ukraine but this does not stop Nato from offering military support
• He also welcomed Germany's decision to announce it would suspend certification of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline to Russia.

• The Champions League final is likely to be moved from St Petersburg in Russia - Johnson said it is "inconceivable" that major international football tournaments can take place now

• Former PM Theresa May said the battle is about "the defence of democracy itself"
• And Johnson warned the UK must now "steel ourselves for a protracted crisis"

Our full story is here if you want to read more.

UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has just tweeted about the "strong response" from German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Nord Stream 2, after he put a hold on the major gas pipeline project.

She says: "We must hold Russia responsible for their actions, which will be met with severe costs. Europe must reduce its dependence on Russian gas."

• How does the pipeline fit into the Ukraine-Russia crisis?

Russia is not planning to send troops to eastern Ukraine "for now" but will do so in case of a "threat", according to a foreign ministry official.

It comes after Moscow's parliament ratified cooperation deals with Ukraine's separatist republics.

Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko told the AFP news agency that the treaties include the provision of "military aid" but added that "speculation" on troop deployments should be avoided.

"For now, no one is planning to send anything anywhere. If there is a threat, then we will provide assistance in accordance with the ratified treaties."

Pavel Aksenov & Timur Sazonov
BBC Russian

On a sunny day in Pokrovskoye, a village in Russia's Rostov region near the border with Ukraine, life is calm.

Gentle church bells and choral singing are sounding across the central square as we try to gauge the mood of local residents and their feelings about the decision by the Russian president to recognise the independence of rebel-held areas in Eastern Ukraine.

Most are adamant that the decision was the right one.

“It should have been done before," one woman tells us. "Those areas had always been a part of the Russian Empire and now everything is coming back. People in Eastern Ukraine all want to be in Russia, and we are not against it.”

“If Ukraine is not admitted into Nato, then everything will be fine,” she adds. “The most important thing is to avoid war. It’s more important than any sanctions or currency fluctuations.”

A pensioner in a green jacket agrees that Putin’s decision was the right one.

“It should have been done before, why wasn’t it?” he says.

As to what might happen next, he believes that everything will be fine as long as “the Americans don’t start controlling everything in the Donbass”.

Asked whether he is worried about further confrontation between Russia and the West, he shrugs: “They, the Americans, are dominating all over the world already. What are we supposed to do? Go up on our hind legs and salute them? No, I would say - we need to hit out first.”

Image source, PA Media

Russia's recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as independent states is an "unjustified act", defence ministers from the UK, the Netherlands, the Baltic States and Nordic countries have said.

The defence ministers from ten countries are part of the UK-led Joint Expeditionary Force and issued the statement after meeting in Leicestershire.

In a news conference, the UK's defence secretary said the recognition of the two republics was not only against international law but also basically trashes the Minsk agreements.

Ben Wallace said there were plenty more sanctions "in the tank" after those announced today, but stressed the importance of imposing sanctions in "lockstep" with allies.

He said the Joint Expeditionary Force would also be conducting "freedom of movement exercises" in the coming weeks in the Baltic Sea. Defence ministers from the Baltic States have called for more Nato forces to be deployed in their countries and for more military support.

Wallace said "we're absolutely open to doing even more if required, because we need to send that clear signal to President Putin".

Image source, HoC

Let's go back to Westminster for a minute...

Former Conservative leader Iain Duncan Smith has been speaking, and he's commended the government's actions but says Russia needs to be hit with sanctions "hard and now".

If Moscow moves further, he asks if the UK will take further action.

He adds the UK is facing the growth of an "axis of totalitarian states" and how we react will have implications for Taiwan and the Far East.

In response, the prime minister says: "We are hitting [Russia] hard now and will hit them harder in the future."

"We will continue to punish Russia," the PM adds.

Orla Guerin
BBC News, eastern Ukraine

In a muddy trench on the frontlines in Zolote, in eastern Ukraine, troops told us this was just another day in a long war.

They have been fighting Kremlin backed separatists since 2014. They say their orders have not changed since President Putin recognised the two separatist enclaves as independent republics.

His move could herald the arrival of Russian troops on the frontlines – despatched as “peacekeepers’ to protect civilians in the breakaway areas.

The Ukrainians say there has already been a Russian military presence across the frontlines for years. They only difference is that now it would be official.

“If the Russians come, they won’t be motivated like us,” one soldier told us. “We are defending our Motherland so we will stand our ground. And it won’t be like 2014 (when Moscow annexed the Crimean Peninsula). We have a strong army now.”

During our visit there was incoming shelling, and about half an hour later the Ukrainians returned fire.

The fear is the situation on the frontlines could escalate. There is more at stake here than the future of Ukraine. There are long term implications for security in Europe.

Katya Adler
Europe Editor

Just as Boris Johnson sets out his approach, the EU has published its sanctions proposal in reaction to Vladimir Putin recognising the two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine and sending troops there as what he has called a peacekeeping force.

Note, these are targeted sanctions and the EU says it has additional measures prepared if Putin takes more military steps in Ukraine.

For now sanctions are to target:

• Anyone involved in the decision - diplomats say that includes 351 members of Russia's parliament who backed recognition along with 11 people who proposed it

• Banks that are financing Russia's military and other operations in those territories

• The ability of the Russian state and government to access the EU’s capital and financial markets and services, and the financing of escalatory and aggressive policies

• Trade from the two breakaway regions to and from the EU, to ensure that those responsible clearly feel the economic consequences of their illegal and aggressive actions

All 27 EU member states have to agree to these sanctions. Splits between EU countries over foreign policy are common.

Brussels is anxious, along with rest of West, to put forward a united front but behind closed doors, diplomats speak about concerns over Hungary.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban has a close relationship with Moscow. As for the future and possible further sanctions against Russia, Italy, Austria and Germany have made clear their nervousness about energy supplies and prices.

Sanctions don't go far enough, some MPs suggestpublished at 13:29 Greenwich Mean Time 22 February 2022

13:29 GMT 22 February 2022

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

A number of MPs have raised concerns the sanctions announced today do not go far enough.

Some are calling for most Russian banks to be blacklisted and more individuals.

There is a suggestion that what has been announced this afternoon is not enough of a deterrent.

I don’t think we’ve seen the last of these announcements though.

The prime minister has said this is a first barrage of sanctions – with more ready if Russian actions escalate.

Image source, HoC

Lib Dem leader Ed Davey welcomes the PM's statement but urges him to go further on sanctions.

He calls for the UK to freeze and begin seizing the assets of Putin's cronies and expel these oligarchs from the country.

Davey also asks if Johnson will push for the Champions League final to be moved from St Petersbourg.

In response, the PM says he thinks it "inconceivable" that major international football tournaments can take place after the latest Russian moves.

On Russian money, he says the UK is cracking down on "ill-gotten gains in London" and the cronies of Putin.

You can read our latest story on the Champions League final location here.

The Labour leader responds to Boris Johnson's statement on Russia sanctions.

The UK government has now published details of the sanctions it plans to impose on Russia.

It will freeze the assets of three individuals - Gennadiy Timchenko, Boris Rotenberg and Igor Rotenberg.

It's also announced sanctions against five banks.

You can read the full details here, external.

Boris Johnson has announced sanctions against five Russian banks: Rossiya, IS Bank, General Bank, Promsvyazbank and the Black Sea Bank.

He called it "the first barrage of what we are prepared to do".

There are also sanctions against three individuals.

Image source, HoC

Conservative MP Tobias Ellwood welcomes the government's efforts on Ukraine but says sanctions alone will not be enough.

He says targeted sanctions may even play into President Putin's hands and "pivot Russia closer to China".

The chairman of the Commons defence committee says a more long-term approach to defending European security outside of Nato's borders is needed.

He calls for the government to consider "how we utilise our formidable hard power deterrence", not excluding the formation of a potential no-fly zone.

In response, the prime minister says Ellwood is right to place emphasis on Nato, adding that the military alliance is reinforcing its eastern flank.

He says no Nato country is currently considering sending combat troops to Ukraine - which is not a member - but this does not preclude military support for Ukraine from Nato.

One of the questions many following the story on the crisis in Ukraine have asked today is where it is, and which countries it borders.

Ukraine is situated in eastern Europe.

On Ukraine's south-eastern border - shared with Russia - is an area often referred to as the Donbas.

This area includes the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Parts of Donetsk and Luhansk are self-declared independent people's republics. Other parts are still controlled by the Ukrainian government.

Russia has said it recognises the self-declared republics as independent.

In 2014 Russia annexed Crimea, a peninsula which stretches out from the south of Ukraine.

Ukraine was a member of the Soviet Union for much of the twentieth century - from when it was formed in 1922 to its breakup in 1991.

It shares borders too with Belarus, Poland, Moldova, Romania Hungary and Slovakia.

Image source, PA Media

As we continue to bring you more from the House of Commons this lunchtime, here's a recap of Prime Minister Boris Johnson's statement on Ukraine he made to MPs:

• He accuses Russia's President Vladimir Putin of having violated the Minsk peace agreements in his actions of recognising the "supposed independence" of two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine
• The deployment of forces in those regions "amounts to a renewed invasion of that country", says Johnson
• By denying Ukraine's legitimacy as a state, Putin "is establishing the pretext for a full-scale offensive", he adds
• "We must now brace ourselves for the next possible stages of Putin's plan," he tells MPs
• If the worst happens then Ukraine would be the target of "a full-scale war of aggression waged without a shred of justification for the absurd and even mystical reasons" Putin has described, says the PM
• Johnson announces sanctions against five Russian banks and three "very high net wealth" individuals under his "first barrage" of measures over the Ukrainian incursion
• The sanctions mean any assets they hold in the UK will be frozen, the individuals will be banned from travelling here and all UK individuals and entities are barred from having dealings with them
• Efforts will continue to "seek a diplomatic solution until the last possible moment", says the PM
• Labour leader Keir Starmer says UK "must stand firm" in its support for Ukraine and remain united with Nato allies to "show Putin that we will not be divided"

Boris Johnson has told Parliament that Moscow's actions in Ukraine "amount to a renewed invasion of the country".

Image source, HoC

Former Conservative Prime Minster Theresa May welcomes Johnson's statement and his "unwavering support" for Ukrainian sovereignty.

She raises concerns that the situation in Ukraine reflects a wider worldwide trend of authoritarian states trying to impose their way of thinking on others.

The battle we now face is "the defence of democracy itself", she says.

Johnson agrees, saying "that is what is at stake".

He adds that echoes from Ukraine "will be heard in Taiwan and east Asia and throughout the world".

Boris Johnson thanks Keir Starmer for the clarity with which he has just spoken and the support he has given to the strategy to deal with the crisis in Europe.

The PM says the UK has led the way on cracking down on unexplained wealth and is bringing forward an economic crime bill.

He says Starmer is right to acknowledge there are further powerful sanctions being held back in view of what President Putin might do next.

He says he wants to stop Russian companies from being able to raise funds in sterling or dollars, raising funds on UK markets and he will "strip away the veil that conceals the owenership of property in this country and throughout the West".

Johnsons says the current sanctions are very tough but others he has prepared are "much tougher still and we have absolutely no hesitation in implementing them".