UK will not look away from Russia invasion in Ukraine - PM

The UK "cannot and will not just look away" at Russia's "hideous and barbaric" attack on Ukraine, Boris Johnson has said.

The PM said President Vladimir Putin had launched a "vast invasion by land, by sea and by air" without provocation.

He said the UK and allies will launch a "massive package" of sanctions to "hobble" Russia's economy.

The prime minister will outline the further economic sanctions against Russia in the Commons at 17:00 GMT.

He will lead another meeting of the government's Cobra emergencies committee to discuss the Ukraine crisis at 19:30 GMT, followed by a meeting of the cabinet at 20:30 GMT, Downing Street has said.

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In a pre-recorded TV statement, Mr Johnson stressed that Ukraine was "not some faraway country of which we know little".

He added: "We have Ukrainian friends in this country, neighbours, co-workers. Ukraine is a country that for decades has enjoyed freedom and democracy and the right to choose its own destiny."

Mr Johnson said the UK and its allies would agree a "massive package of economic sanctions" in a bid to "hobble" the Russian economy, warning that the West would need to cease its dependence on Russian oil and gas.

"Our mission is clear: diplomatically, politically, economically and eventually militarily, this hideous and barbaric venture of Vladimir Putin must end in failure," Mr Johnson said.

There are around 35,000 Ukrainian-born people living in the UK, according to the most-recent ONS data

Earlier Russian forces launched an assault on Ukraine, crossing its borders and bombing military targets near big cities.

Russian military vehicles are reported to have breached Ukraine's border in a number of places, in the north, south and east, including from Belarus.

The UK's Ministry of Defence said Russian forces based in Belarus were advancing towards Ukraine's capital Kyiv.

Ukraine has imposed martial law across the country, meaning the military has taken control temporarily, and traffic jams have built up as people attempt to flee Kyiv.

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Addressing the Ukrainian people directly, Mr Johnson said: "In this moment of agony, we're with you, we're praying for you and your families and we are on your side."

The prime minister also sought to reassure the British public, pledging to do "everything to keep our country safe" and work with allies "for however long it takes" to restore Ukraine's sovereignty and independence.

"Because this act of wanton and reckless aggression is an attack not just on Ukraine, it's an attack on democracy and freedom in eastern Europe and around the world."

Ukrainian protesters gathered outside Downing Street on Thursday afternoon to call for more action from the UK and the international community.

Natalia Ravlyuk, a volunteer who helped organise the protest, said: "We feel very angry, we feel very anxious and we feel betrayed by democratic states because we have been talking about this war for eight years."

Ukrainian protesters gathered outside Downing Street on Thursday afternoon

Mr Johnson was among leaders of the G7 group of wealthy nations who met to discuss the situation. Earlier, the prime minister said on Twitter that the invasion was a "catastrophe for our continent".

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the UK should brace itself for the "economic pain" the country will experience by imposing sanctions against Russia.

In a televised address, Sir Keir said: "We will see economic pain as we free Europe from dependence on Russian gas and clean our institutions from money stolen from the Russian people.

"But the British public have always been willing to make sacrifices to defend democracy on our continent and we will again."

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss summoned Russia's ambassador to the UK, Andrei Kelin, for the second time this week to ask him to explain the "illegal, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine".

A source told BBC political correspondent Nick Eardley the meeting was "tempestuous" and ended early after Ms Truss said the ambassador should be "ashamed" of Russia's behaviour in Ukraine, adding that the Kremlin had lied repeatedly.

Meanwhile the head of the Western defensive alliance Nato, Jens Stoltenberg, condemned the invasion as a "blatant violation" of international law and said he is calling a virtual summit of alliance leaders on Friday to discuss the "serious threat" to security in the region.

"This is a grave moment for the security of Europe. Russia's unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine is putting countless lives at risk," he said.

In a pre-dawn TV statement on Thursday, President Putin said Russia did not plan to occupy Ukraine, but demanded its soldiers lay down their weapons, before warning that Moscow's response would be "instant" if anyone tried to take on Russia.

The prospect of further UK sanctions against Russia comes a day after the prime minister announced that five Russian banks had had their assets frozen and three Russian billionaires would have travel bans imposed.

UK nationals were advised two weeks ago to leave Ukraine while commercial flights were still available. Those remaining have again been urged to leave Ukraine immediately - if they judge it is safe to do so.

Ukraine has closed its airspace to civilian flights.