Ukraine warns of 'big war in Europe', rebels seek Russia support

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday that Russia could start "a major war in Europe" in the coming days and urged Russians to oppose the attack. In an address aired shortly after midnight Zelensky said Russia could invade Ukraine "any day now" and, addressing the Russian people, said whether that happens "depends on you." Zelensky told the people that the Kremlin had approved the movement of nearly 2,00,000 forces into the border area.

He said, "I believe that Russia should be among those countries that provide clear security guarantees. I have many times suggested that the President of Russia sit down at the negotiating table and speak."Rejecting accusations that Ukrainians were neo-Nazis and hated Russian culture, he said, "You are being told we are Nazis. How can a nation that gave 8 million lives to combat Nazism support it? How can I be a Nazi? Tell my grandpa about that.” He concluded his appeal by saying, "We want to determine our history by ourselves. In peace, calm and honesty."

Meanwhile, Russia has said that rebel leaders have sought for Kremlin support against, what was described as "aggression from the Ukrainian Armed Forces"  "Written requests have come through for Russian President Vladimir Putin from Leonid Pasechnik, the head of the Lugansk People's Republic, and Denis Pushilin, the head of the Donetsk People's Republic," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying in reports. The rebel leaders thanked Russia, Peskov said, adding that "Kiev is continuing its military buildup along the line of disengagement" and "republics are experiencing the destruction of civil and industrial infrastructure, schools, hospitals, and kindergartens".

The European Union has announced sanctions against Russia defence minister Sergei Shoigu and military chiefs, news agency AFP reported. Asset freezes and visa bans are among the sanctions introduced on the commanders of Russia's army, navy and air force by the 27-nation bloc.US has accused Russia and China of trying to create a profoundly "illiberal world order". "We think that Russia and the PRC also want a world order. But this is an order that is and would be profoundly illiberal, an order that stands in contrast to the system that countries around the world ... have built in the last seven decades. It is an order that is in many ways destructive, rather than additive," US State Department spokesperson Ned Price said.