DESPITE all diplomatic efforts and threats of sanctions, President Vladimir Putin has launched the full scale invasion of Ukraine that he consistently denied to other foreign powers that he was planning, and which so many have feared over recent days.

At midday today Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a live television broadcast in which the said that our worst fears have come true and that all the warnings of a Russian invasion have proved tragically accurate.

He said President Putin has unleashed war in Europe and has attacked a friendly country without any provocation or credible excuse. He added that bombs have been raining down on an entirely innocent population and “a vast invasion is under way by air and by sea”.

He added: “This is not some faraway country of which we know little. Ukraine - the second-largest country in Europe - is one that for decades has enjoyed freedom and democracy. We cannot allow that freedom to be snuffed out. We cannot and will not look away.”

He added that the UK was one of the first countries in Europe to send defensive weapons to help Ukraine, and that other allies have followed suit and the UK will do more in the days ahead.

He went on: “Today in concert with our allies we will agree a massive package of economic sanctions designed in time to hobble the Russian economy.”

He added that Europe as a whole needed to cease its reliance on oil and gas that has given President Putin a grip on Europe.

He described that Russian attack as a “hideous and barbaric venture of Putin which must end in failure”, describing the attack as “a tidal wave of violence”.

Boris Johnson then went on to address Russians directly, saying he couldn’t believe the invasion was being done in their name or that Russians wanted their country to have a “pariah status”.

Then, addressing Ukraians directly, he said: “We’re with you, we’re praying for you and your families”, before adding that he knew the “flame of freedom” will “braze bright again” and “I don’t believe the Russian dictator will subdue the national feeling of Ukrainians. We will of course do everything to keep our country safe.”

Mr Johnson said Britain was joined in our outrage at the invasion by allies and friends around the world and the UK would work with them for however long it takes to ensure that Ukraine’s independence and sovereignty is restored.”

Describing Putin’s attack as an “act of wanton and reckless aggression” and an attack on democracy and freedom in eastern Europe, he said this crisis over Ukraine was about the right of a country to choose its own future - and that is a right the UK will always defend.

Meanwhile France’s President Emmanuel Macron has also said that his country will stand at Ukraine’s side and that the Russian invasion of Ukraine is a turning point in European history.

The Russian military has claimed that the invasion has been launched to protect the Russian-backed separatist area of Donbas which they say was under attack by the Ukrainian state, but all Western leaders deny this and say it is just a pretext.

The Russian military also claims that its strikes are high precision ones targeting only military infrastructure - but there were reports at around 12.45pm that more than 30 Ukrainian civilians have been killed including around 18 people in a missile attack near the port of Odessa.

While the Russians claim Ukrainian forces are fleeing from theirs en masse, the Ukrainian government says that Russian jets attacking cities have been shot down and around 50 Russian troops killed - plus it says it is offering weapons who anyone who wants them.

The UN refugee agency has urged neighbouring countries to keep their borders open to Ukrainian refugees as people flee their homes and the situation across the country deteriorates. Poland, Hungary and Slovakia have already said they are ready to show compassion and welcome refugees, with reception points set up on their borders with Ukraine and hospitals preparing beds for the wounded. Germany is also offering humanitarian help to these countries.

Just hours before the Russian invasion was launched North Cornwall MP Scott Mann posted the following message on the growing crisis to constituents: "I have been contacted by residents asking my position on Ukraine. I know it seems a long way from home, but as some have pointed out, this crisis does have the potential to affect our day-to-day lives. "I hope this statement addresses some questions, but please remember that the situation is changing rapidly and some of this could quickly become out of date."Like you, I deplore what President Putin is doing. His actions over the past few years have already led to thousands of deaths in Ukraine, and his recent address to the Russian people confirms what many had feared - he is contemplating a full-scale invasion and occupation of Ukraine."Russian troops have already entered the breakaway parts of Ukraine that Putin has spent years destabilising, which has triggered coordinated sanctions against Russian businesses and some individuals. "If Putin invades the rest of Ukraine, more sanctions will be put in place and more support for Ukraine given. "I am pleased the UK has already given millions of pounds worth of lethal equipment such as anti-tank weaponry for Ukraine to use to defend itself, and more equipment is to be delivered in the coming days. "This is not the Victorian age. Countries shouldn't just be able to absorb other countries by force."Putin is threatening the rules that govern how countries act. We are the fifth richest state on earth and one of the most powerful, so we have a duty to join our friends and allies around the world in standing up for our way of life and for the Ukrainian people. "I know if the UK were threatened, I'd want support from other countries too."We only need to look at the past to know what can happen when dictators threaten others. Our way of life – the freedoms we enjoy living in the UK – can only exist if we are safe from those who want to harm us, and if our neighbours are at peace. "We must also remember that there are millions of Russians, rich and poor, old and young, who do not support Putin and do not support invading Ukraine. We should not tarnish all Russians with the same brush. "I am pleased that the UK has led the way in responding to this crisis and I fully support the actions the government has taken. The fact so many Ukrainian people are publicly thanking the UK is heartening. "These are difficult times, but they will get better."But what a difference a day makes - now the Russian invasion has indeed begun.On its website, the Association of Ukrainians in Great Britain (AUGB), the largest representative body for Ukrainians and those of Ukrainian descent in the UK, today posted the following message on news of the Russian invasion of their homeland: “Ukrainians all over the world are deeply shocked that President Putin has unleashed the forces of war against Ukraine.

“We call on all Ukraine’s friends to take the strongest immediate action.

“Now is the time to isolate Russia completely - diplomatically, culturally, and in sport on an international scale, and block all Russian access to financial and economic markets and cut off the funding that allows Putin to act with impunity. The maximum sanctions packages promised must now be introduced without delay.

“Ukraine must be given full military and economic support immediately.

“We are witnessing a crime against Ukraine, against peace in the whole of Europe and against democracy. A pariah state has commenced a destructive war in which thousands will die and millions will suffer. We will feel the effects of Putin’s actions here in the United Kingdom and across the globe.

“The reaction of the United Nations and governments across the world needs to be united not only to condemn the invasion of Ukraine but also with decisive action to protect Ukraine and the international order.”

See https://www.augb.co.uk for further updates.