London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Oct 24, 2025

Russia-Ukraine crisis: UK won’t be able to fly people out - minister

Russia-Ukraine crisis: UK won’t be able to fly people out - minister

The UK will not be able to fly British nationals out of Ukraine if Russia invades, Armed Forces Minister James Heappey has warned.
He told the BBC the RAF would "not be in a position to go in" and people there should "leave now".

Mr Heappey said the advice had changed because Russia was in a position where it could attack "at no notice".

Russia has denied any plans to invade Ukraine despite massing more than 100,000 troops near the border.

The US also said Russia could invade "any day now" and told its own citizens to leave - although it said the US did not know whether President Vladimir Putin had made a final decision.

Both French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Joe Biden spoke with Mr Putin on Saturday.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said she spoke to her US counterpart, Secretary of State Antony Blinken and shared her "acute concerns" of military aggression against Ukraine within days.

She tweeted: "We agree Russia will face massive consequences for any invasion, including severe sanctions. Russia must deescalate and engage with Nato proposals."

Moscow has accused Western countries of stirring up hysteria.

Following a call with world leaders on Friday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said he feared for the security of Europe and urged allies to have a "heavy package of economic sanctions ready to go" should Russia attack, Downing Street confirmed.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Mr Heappey said: "We are now confident that the artillery systems, the missile systems and the combat air are all in place that would allow Russia to launch - at no notice - an attack on Ukraine."

But he warned there would be "a big difference between what [people] may have seen on their TV screens in Afghanistan over the summer and what may happen over the next week or so" - referring to the international airlift to rescue people after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban last year.

"The Royal Air Force will not be in a position to go in and to fly people out so they need to leave now by commercial means or drive out of Ukraine into a neighbouring country," he said.

British troops helping with training in Ukraine will also be leaving the country over the weekend, Mr Heappey added on BBC Radio 4's Today programme. "There will be no troops in Ukraine if there's going to be a conflict there."

Some embassy staff are also being withdrawn but British ambassador to Ukraine, Melinda Simmons, said on Twitter: "I am staying in Kyiv and continue to work there with a core team. The embassy remains operational."

The BBC's Paul Adams in Kyiv said there were signs of urgency and departure at the British embassy, with staff loading bags into a car and driving off. Nobody seemed keen to talk.

The capital does not feel like a city in crisis though, our correspondent added.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
×