Markus Andrews

Boris Johnson has vowed to set up a scheme allowing British people and companies to sponsor Ukrainian refugees to come to the UK.The prime minister has also expanded visa eligibility to more Ukrainian family members, following pressure to expand Britain’s offer to those fleeing the country hit by Russia’s invasion.Mr Johnson claimed more 200,000 Ukrainians could soon be eligible to come to the UK under the visa route, as the scheme was broadened to include more parents, adult children, grandparents and siblings.Speaking to reporters in Poland, Mr Johnson was grilled over his government’s refusal to copy the EU by waiving all visa rules for refugees fleeing Vladimir Putin’s forces.“We have always had a tradition of welcoming people in large numbers,” Mr Johnson told reporters. “We’re extending the family [visa] scheme so that considerable numbers would be eligible. We’re talking about a couple of hundred thousand, maybe more.”He added: “We’re going to have a humanitarian scheme, and then a scheme by which UK companies and citizens can sponsor individual Ukrainians to come to the UK. We’re doing exactly what the UNHCR is asking us to do.”No 10 later clarified the government’s decision, after home secretary Priti Patel had suggested on Monday that the Home Office would be sticking to only very limited changes to visa rules. Although the expanded scheme was set to apply only to spouses, the parents of children under 18 and children under 18, it will now be expanded to include parents of adult children, grandparents, adult children over 18, and the siblings of those settled in the UK.The prime minister’s official spokesman said the government would make a “broad and generous offer to the people of Ukraine”.The spokesperson also acknowledged the 200,000 figure used by Mr Johnson was “indicative only” as it was “impossible to predict” how many would want to come, rather than stay in countries closer to Ukraine.Dozens of senior Conservatives had joined Labour in demanding more “decisive” action on refugees, including ex-ministers Jeremy Hunt, Robert Buckland, Greg Clark, Damian Green and Caroline Nokes.On Tuesday Ms Patel confirmed in the Commons the definition of family members would be extended to “parents, grandparents, adult offspring, siblings and their immediate family members” under the Ukrainian family visa scheme.The home secretary also confirmed a “humanitarian sponsorship pathway” was being set up for Ukrainians who do not have close family members in the UK, but who can get sponsorship from a firm or individual – saying there would be no limit of the numbers who could apply.Meanwhile, Mr Johnson suggested ways in which sanctions on Putin’s regime could be tightened – urging other countries to back further tightening of the Swift international payment system on Russian entities.The PM said: “There is plainly more to be done on Swift, we can tighten up yet further on Swift, even though it has had a dramatic effect already I think we do need to go further.Mr Johnson added: “There’s more to be done on Sberbank, there’s more to be done on the freezing of Russian assets … I think there’s genuine amazement and dismay in Russia about what has happened already but there is more to be done.”There could be more “severing of sporting links” and “cracking down on the billionaires associated with Vladimir Putin”, Mr Johnson added.A Ukrainian journalist made an emotional appeal to Mr Johnson to impose a no-fly zone to protect civilians in the country as he was asked questions at the end of his press coference in Poland.Daria Kaleniuk said: “My call to the West is protect our sky. It is insane that our sky is being protected by children who are taking the heat.”Mr Johnson replied: “That’s not something that we can do or that we’ve envisaged. The consequences of that would be truly very, very difficult to control.” More

Boris Johnson has warned that Vladimir Putin’s aim in invading Ukraine is to “overthrow the Cold War order and destroy the vision of a Europe whole and free”. Speaking in Warsaw during a visit to Poland, the prime minister warned that if Putin succeeds in Ukraine, his “imperial ambitions” would not end at its borders and “no country would be safe”.However, the PM vowed that the UK and other members of the international community will not relent in their sanctions on his regime and will be ready to continue supporting Ukraine in what could be “a prolonged crisis”. Moscow’s effort to rewrite the political settlement of Europe was “something the UK and our allies could never accept”, he said.Mr Johnson said that even if Russia succeeds in taking Ukraine, its fiercely contested occupation of the vast country can be expected to be “militarily exhausting and economically ruinous” for Moscow.He called on Putin to avert catastrophic consequences for Russia by withdrawing his tanks and troops immediately, telling the Russian president: “Turn them round and take the path to peace.”Mr Johnson said that Putin was “tearing up every principle of civilised behaviour between states”.“He has hurled his war machine on the people of Ukraine, a fellow Slavic country,” said the prime minister. “He has bombarded civilian targets, fired rockets at blocks of flats, he is responsible for hundreds of civilian casualties including growing numbers of children.“And also, of course, for the deaths of many Russian and Ukrainian soldiers.“We must accept the grim reality that Putin will continue to tighten the vice and, if you go by the size and firepower of Vladimir Putin’s war machine, the odds have always been heavily against Ukrainian armed forces.”But he said that Putin had made a “colossal mistake” by invading Ukraine.“Putin has lied to his people and to his troops about how this conflict would go, and he has now been caught out in that lie,” he said.“They have not been welcomed to Ukraine as he prophesized, their tanks have not been cheered in the streets or garlanded with flowers.“Instead, Ukrainians have mounted an astonishing and tenacious resistance.”Evidence of Putin’s brutal military tactics could be used in a future war crimes trial at The Hague, said Mr Johnson.“There’s no doubt that he is already using barbaric tactics, bombing civilian areas,” said the PM.“I have seen the reports about cluster bombs and thermobaric weapons. They will, of course, have to be verified.“I think that everybody involved in the Russian onslaught should understand that all this will be collated in evidence to be used at a future time in what could be proceedings before the International Criminal Court.” More

Russia will resort to provoking riots and shooting citizens “on the spot” after its early attempts to crush resistance faltered, Ukraine’s ambassador has warned.In chilling evidence to MPs, Vadym Prystaiko predicted a “second part” of the invasion is looming, after Moscow’s troops were not “greeted with flowers” as Vladimir Putin had claimed.This would involve introducing “martial law” in cities it held and dealing with Ukrainian who still resisted in a “military way”, a committee of MPs was told.“Resilience is going so much against his plans and people in Russia are starting to ask questions ‘what are we doing there and why?’,” Mr Prystaiko said.“So I believe they might use the tactics we should describe as the second part – try to block our cities, try to soften political position, try maybe some riots in Ukraine.”This could see residents “ordered to leave or be shot on the spot,” the ambassador to the UK told the Commons foreign affairs committee.During the session, Mr Prystaiko also said:* Ukrainians currently have food, water and electricity – but warned: “This infrastructure are starting to be targeted”.* Poland and Slovakia, currently welcoming huge numbers of refugees would “sooner or later run out” of hotels, houses and sports facilities for them.* Wounded Russian troops were being “treated in our own hospitals, along with our own people” – and would be returned to Russia “when the war is over”.* Experts “came up with nothing” when they war-gamed would persuade Putin to end the invasion – warning: “He doesn’t need anything – he doesn’t want anything.”* There is thought to be no-one senior in Putin’s inner circle ready to turn on him – arguing the “only soft spot he still has is his own population”.Highlighting how Russia has met resistance it never expected, the ambassador told the MPs: “People are throwing Molotov cocktails from their cars passing by Russian tanks.”But he suggested he had little hope for the negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, saying “we just stated our positions and went back to our capitals”.The Kremlin was demanding demilitarisation of Ukraine and recognition of the annexed state of Crimea as Russian territory.On how Putin’s assault can be defeated, Mr Prystaiko said: “The only soft spot he still has is his own population. The circle around him, we don’t believe that they are self-sufficient or risky enough to tell him no.” More

Labour has refused to back calls for an open door policy for Ukrainian refugees, after nearly 40 Tory MPs said the UK should adopt one.Speaking on Monday evening the opposition party’s international development spokesperson was asked about demand but would only say the process for applying to come to the UK should be “simplified”. Preet Kaur Gill said the UK’s visa website needed to be improved and that “only those people that have family members in the United Kingdom” wanted to come to Britain. Jeremy Hunt, one of the 37 Tory MPs calling for Britain to follow the EU’s lead on refugees from the conflict, told the BBC’s Newsnight programme that Britain had a “long tradition” of helping refugees.Asked whether he supported an “open door” policy for Ukrainian refugees mirroring the one adopted by the European Union, senior Conservative MP Jeremy Hunt said: “Yes. And I expect we will get something like that from the next couple of days from the prime minister. “Remember, he has a track record of being very generous in his offer to people wanting to leave Hong Kong. And I know that Britain has this long tradition of being open to genuine refugees as obviously people fleeing Ukraine are.”But asked on the same programme whether Labour also wanted an “open door” policy, Labour frontbencher Preet Kaur Gill said:”Well, look, we need a very simplified process.”What was really clear from the House of Commons today earlier, it was a question that Yvette Cooper put to the Home Secretary was given the current scheme does it actually expand to elderly parents, for example, and she indicated that it did. “Of course, Yvette had to make a point of order and correct her because that is not the case. “At the moment, unless you’re a partner, or you have dependents or someone to care for this scheme does not apply to you. “Our process is so difficult. Just imagine when you go onto the website, how difficult it is to navigate, and all people need from Ukraine is to know that they’re going to be able to join their loved ones. “Many of these people are women and children. Of course, their partners are left behind. Many of the people fleeing Ukraine will want to stay in neighbouring countries. “So only those people that have family members in the United Kingdom, they want to be able to come and join them, and we’ve got to enable a process that is simple that enables them to do that.”Pushed again on whether Labour supported an open door policy specifically, as endorsed by the Tory MPs and implemented by the EU, she said: “What we’re saying is we need a simplified scheme. We’ve already got one of the Hong Kong one it’s working really well. We need to have something very similar to that.”The government’s visa concessions for Ukrainians announced over the weekend have beenwidely criticised by campaigners as insufficient – with many close family members including adult children, parents of adults, brothers and sisters not covered under the scheme.The Independent last week launched its Refugees Welcome campaign, calling on the government to set up a resettlement scheme to grant sanctuary in the UK to Ukrainians fleeing the bloody conflict. Polls suggest a strong backing for the move.Andrew Scattergood, co-chair of left-wing pressure group Momentum, said Labour should change its policy and bring it into line with EU states.”The Labour leadership must urgently change position and fully commit to safe passage for every Ukrainian refugee who needs it, as the EU has done,” he said.”Even Tory MPs are recognising an open door policy is the bare minimum we should be demanding for Ukrainians.”The EU has said it will allow entry to all people fleeing Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and will not require them to apply for asylum, under its Temporary Protection Directive scheme.EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said she did not know how many people would come, adding: “I think we will have to prepare for millions.”Various estimates by the UN and refugee organisations put the number of people fleeing the Russian invasion at somewhere between four and seven million people. More

Ceasefire talks between Russia and Ukraine took place on the worst day of bloodshed so far since the invasion began, with dozens killed in attacks on the city of Kharkiv, and more heavy missile attacks on Kyiv, in which a major military radar complex was destroyed.The bombardment of the capital came after warnings of intense rocket and artillery barrages led to another exodus of residents. Ukrainian commanders said they expected Russian troops to once again try to push through towards the city centre, after previous attempts were repulsed.Western allies fear that the increasing use of rockets and tube artillery marks a shift in tactics, and will be stepped up in the coming days.“I fear that the way in which Russia has been frustrated in achieving its aims on the ground is leading to more indiscriminate fire, and as a consequence we are going to see more civilian casualties,” said one official.The violence, and the negotiations, took place on a day that saw increased sanctions by the international community further hammering the Russian economy, leading to interest rates being doubled to 20 per cent, while at one point the rouble sank by 30 per cent. Moscow’s stock exchange was shut down and will remain closed on Tuesday.Talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations at the Belarusian border ended in the early evening, with both sides returning to report to their respective governments. A second round is due to take place in the coming days, but expectations of a resolution of the conflict remain low. Kyiv has asked for a ceasefire along with the withdrawal of Russian troops. The Kremlin has not announced its position, but Vladimir Putin had previously demanded the full “demilitarisation” of Ukraine.As the talks were taking place, the French government said Mr Putin had told Emmanuel Macron he was prepared to suspend operations that targeted infrastructure and could lead to civilian casualties.But the assault on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second city, was said to have included the use of a BM-21 122mm Grad rocket launcher, which The Independent reported at the weekend was among weapons being moved towards Ukrainian cities by Russian forces. The arsenal also included TOS-1A thermobaric launchers along with BM-21 220mm Uragan and 300mm Smerch systems. All are area-denial systems, which are used not for precision strikes but for clearing stretches of ground.Senior western officials confirmed on Monday that the thermobaric rocket launchers had been seen near major cities, and warned that the Kremlin may want to revert to the Soviet doctrine of overwhelming force, with the probability of massive civilian casualties, if the lack of success they have so far experienced continues.Oksana Markarova – the Ukrainian ambassador to the US – claimed on Monday that Russia had used a thermobaric weapon as part of its assault on the country.The officials said that western states were keeping a close watch on the actions of the Russian military for any human rights abuses, and that those responsible, including individual commanders on the ground, would be held to account before international courts of law in the future.The Russian military went into Kharkiv on Sunday, mainly using armoured personnel carriers rather than tanks, along with comparatively light weaponry, and were driven out by Ukrainian forces after intense firefights. On Monday they resumed the assault with heavier weapons, using, it has been claimed, cluster ammunition.A school was destroyed in Okhtyrka, killing three people including a child. Amnesty International said the attack “appears to have been carried out by Russian forces, which were operating nearby, and which have a record of using cluster munitions in populated areas”.The organisation’s secretary general, Agnes Callamard, stated that “there is no possible justification for dropping cluster munitions in populated areas, let alone near a school”.American and British officials said there was further evidence of Russian armour advancing to surround Kyiv. One set of satellite images showed armour formations at Antonov airport on the outskirts of the city.Western intelligence sources have told The Independent that two Russian armies – the 41st Combined Arms Army (CAA) and the 1st Guards Tank Army – are heading towards Kyiv as part of an encirclement operation from three sides, with a fourth being considered.The threats of further attacks have led to more people leaving the capital. In Yaroslaviv Val Street in the city centre, the Bondarenko family were saying goodbye to each other. Two sons, Nicolai and Valentin, were staying behind to fight with the newly mobilised volunteer force, while their mother and three siblings were leaving for Lviv in the west of the country.Their mother, Ludmilla Bondarenko, said: “My heart breaks to leave my sons, but they want to stay and defend our city. I hope God will keep them safe and we can return here again soon. I also hope God punishes Putin for the terrible things he is doing, and that those Russians who support him are also punished.”Washington imposed severe new sanctions on Monday, blocking American institutions from transactions involving Russia’s central bank, finance ministry and national wealth fund.Switzerland has set aside its historic neutrality and announced that it would adopt all sanctions already imposed on Russia by the European Union.The EU has also barred all Russian planes from using its airspace, forcing Aeroflot to cancel its flights to Europe until further notice.“The economic reality has considerably changed,” acknowledged Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. “These are heavy sanctions, they are problematic, but Russia has the potential to offset the harm. Russia has been making plans for quite a long time.” More

Ministers have been accused of being “heartless and mean-spirited” after it emerged that a new humanitarian route for Ukrainian refugees amounts to only small adjustments to visa rules which will benefit only certain family members of British citizens.Home secretary Priti Patel told MPs on Monday that the government had introduced a “bespoke humanitarian route” for people fleeing the Russian invasion in Ukraine, saying it would allow an additional 100,000 Ukrainians to seek sanctuary in the UK.However, it later emerged that this does not go beyond the easing of rules for a limited pool of family members of UK residents, which was announced over the weekend and has already been branded a “plaster for an open wound”.Charities and lawyers criticised the government’s failure to do as the EU has done and waive all visa rules for refugees fleeing Ukraine, and said they were sceptical about the claims that 100,000 people would be helped under the changes.Shadow immigration minister Yvette Cooper accused the home secretary of “complete confusion” around what is being offered to Ukrainian refugees, asking her in the House of Commons: “How on earth is the home secretary so unprepared for something she’s been warning about for weeks?”More than 500,000 people have already fled Ukraine since the beginning of the invasion, and the UN estimates that this figure could reach 4 million.Temporary visa concessions announced by the Home Office on Sunday mean that certain family members of British nationals who do not meet the usual eligibility criteria but pass security checks may be granted permission to enter the UK outside the rules for 12 months.However, this only apply to spouses, the parents of children under 18 or a child under 18 and close relatives requiring care – excluding many relatives including parents, adult children, siblings.Immigration barrister Colin Yeo told The Independent he was “sceptical” about Ms Patel’s claim that the concessions would help 100,000 Ukrainians.“There aren’t many Ukrainians in the UK so I can’t see how there are going to be 100,000 eligible family members,” he said, adding: “The contrast with the simple generosity shown by the EU seems quite marked.”A Home Office spokesperson told The Independent the figure was based on “internal estimates” but did not explain how it was reached.Jon Featonby, policy and advocacy manager at the British Red Cross, said he “welcomed” this step but that “much more can and should be done”, and called for the lifting of all visa requirements for Ukrainians wanting to enter the UK.“This would avoid people needing to go through a lengthy visa application process at a moment of crisis for them and their family, bringing the UK in line with many other European countries,” he added.Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, said Ms Patel’s announcement fell “well short of what is needed” and did “very little” to reassure Ukrainian’s fleeing war and bloodshed that that they would be able to seek sanctuary in Britain.“Compared to the EU’s decision to take in refugees for up to three years without having to apply for asylum, it is heartless and mean spirited sending a message to desperate Ukrainians in search of safety that unless they have a family member in the UK, they are not welcome,” he said.Caroline Coombs, of campaign group Reunite Families, which has been supporting people in the UK trying to get their relatives out of Ukraine, said Ms Patel’s announcement revealed “nothing new”.“We still have no idea if parents, grandparents and other family members of British citizens and settled people in the UK can come here. People are scared and have no idea what to do,” she said.It comes after 37 Conservatives, including former ministers Jeremy Hunt and Greg Clark, wrote to Boris Johnson on Monday urging the government to act “decisively”, stating: “Ukrainian victims of war seeking refuge are welcome”.Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon meanwhile warned that a failure to waive visa requirements for Ukrainians seeking refuge could be “embarrassing” to the UK government and called on the prime minister to allow anyone fleeing the Russian invasion to come to the UK, “sort the paperwork later on”.A poll by YouGov last week found almost two-thirds of British people would support the introduction of a resettlement scheme for those fleeing Ukraine.The home secretary said: “I am committed to ensuring the UK is as generous as possible to the people of Ukraine, just as we have been to the people of Afghanistan and Hong Kong, and further announcements will be made in due course.” More

Policy proposals that are central to Priti Patel’s controversial borders bill have been voted down in the House of Lords, in what campaigners have described as a “victory for compassion”.The Home Office has been urged to “take heed” after peers rejected plans in the Nationality and Borders Bill to penalise and criminalise refugees based on their method of arrival to the UK under clause 11, and to give ministers powers to strip British citizenship without notice under clause 9.Both measures have already drawn widespread criticism, including from prominent Tory MPs.Clause 11 would see asylum seekers who come to Britain via unauthorised routes – such as in small boats or by stowing away in trucks – criminalised and blocked from being granted refugee status in the UK, regardless of how strong their claim is.They would either be imprisoned or granted a form of temporary status that affords them no access to benefits and no family reunion rights and be regularly re-assessed for removal. The UNHCR has raised alarm that this two-tiered approach would breach the 1951 Refugee Convention.Conservatives, including David Davis and Dominic Grieve, wrote to Boris Johnson warning that the policy is “dangerous” and would see Britain “significantly breach key international obligations”.During report stage of the bill in the House of Lords on Monday evening, peers voted to delete this clause, with 204 against and 126 for.Earlier in the sitting, Lords voted to remove clause 9, which would allow the home secretary to remove a person’s British citizenship without having to notify them if she believed it was in the interests of national security, diplomacy or “otherwise in the public interest”. The government has been able to deprive people of their citizenship for more than a century – but never without informing them. Experts have warned that this policy would leave large swathes of people, particularly those from black and ethnic minority communities, at risk and lead to Windrush-style injustices.Peers voted it down 209 to 193.In response to the clause 11 vote, Sonya Sceats, chief executive at Freedom from Torture, said “At a time of international crisis, this incompetent government has once again found itself on the wrong side of history. “It is time for them to abandon these cruel proposals and cease their inhumane demonisation of people fleeing torture, war and persecution.”Enver Solomon, chief executive of the Refugee Council, described the vote as “a victory for compassion, humanity and the rights of refugees”.“Peers aren’t prepared to see this government undermine a key principle of refugee protection – that we should not discriminate against refugees based on how they travel. People desperately fleeing war and persecution should always have a fair hearing on British soil,” he said.“We urge the government to take heed of what has happened in the Lords today and remove this harmful clause from the bill.”Responding to the Lords’ rejection of clause 9, Maya Foa, director of charity Reprieve, said: “Peers have heard the outcry against this attempted power grab by the home secretary. Now MPs must listen, and strike this discriminatory provision from the bill.“The government’s powers to strip citizenship are already the broadest in the G20. They are used disproportionately against people from ethnic minorities communities. Today the House of Lords said: enough.”The bill will now return to the House of Commons, where it is expected to be voted on again within weeks. More

Shell ditched billions of pounds worth of investments in Russia on Monday and cut all ties with Gazprom as western allies announced fresh sanctions on Moscow.The UK oil giant said it also intends to end its involvement in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline as firms come under pressure to reconsider deals after Vladimir Putin launched a deadly invasion of Ukraine.“We are shocked by the loss of life in Ukraine, which we deplore, resulting from a senseless act of military aggression which threatens European security,” said Shell’s chief executive officer, Ben van Beurden.Liz Truss, the foreign secretary, said all Russian banks would be hit with a full asset freeze within days as she announced new powers to limit them clearing payments in sterling, which will initially target the nation’s largest bank, Sberbank.“With over 50 per cent of Russian trade denominated in dollars or sterling, our coordinated action with the United States will damage Russia’s ability to trade with the world,” she said.She also said full asset freezes would be imposed on the VEB, Sovcombank and Otkritie banks.The next steps include legislation to isolate Russian companies from access to UK capital markets, and a ban on exports to Russia in critical sectors. This includes “high-end technological equipment” – including marine and navigation equipment – which “will blunt Russia’s military industrial capabilities”.She admitted the export ban would hit British companies causing “some economic hardships”, but added: “Those hardships are nothing compared to the people of Ukraine.”Meanwhile, transport secretary Grant Shapps ordered UK ports to deny access to Russian flagged, registered or operated vessels.Shell said it had around $3bn (£2.2bn) of assets in its main ventures in Russia. They included a 27.5 per cent stake in the Sakhalin-2 joint venture, which operates a liquified natural gas facility. Gazprom owns 50 per cent of the venture, based on Sakhalin island in Russia’s far eastern boundary.“We cannot – and we will not – stand by,” Mr Van Beurden added. “Our immediate focus is the safety of our people in Ukraine and supporting our people in Russia.“In discussion with governments around the world, we will also work through the detailed business implications, including the importance of secure energy supplies to Europe and other markets, in compliance with relevant sanctions.” More