A Russian invasion of Ukraine is ‘inevitable and imminent’, senior Tory MP Tobias Ellwood has warned.

The stark warning comes after a massive cyber-attack on Ukraine left much of the country without heat, light and access to money.

Experts now believe it was an attempt by Vladimir Putin to destabilise the former Soviet state before a physical invasion.

‘I am afraid an invasion by Russian forces is inevitable and imminent and we have allowed this to happen,’ Mr Ellwood told the Daily Mail.

‘We had the opportunity to place sufficient military hardware and personnel in Ukraine to make president Putin think twice about invading but we failed to do so.’

He added: ‘Only president Putin knows what he is going to do next, but next week would seem pivotal.

‘He has negotiated himself into a corner and after Nato refused to bow to his threats seemingly only one option remains.’

In a subsequent tweet, the Commons Defence Committee chairman wrote: ‘Russia is on the brink of an invasion. And once again will try to re-draw the map of Eastern Europe. History will ask – why did we not learn from history?’

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss condemned Russia’s military build-up on the Ukraine border and called on Moscow to ‘halt its aggression’.

She tweeted: ‘Russia is waging a disinformation campaign intended to destabilise and justify an invasion of its sovereign neighbour Ukraine.

‘Russia must halt its aggression, deescalate and engage in meaningful talks.’

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace also said a Russian invasion would violate the ‘most basic freedoms and sovereignty’.

Issuing a warning to Moscow, Mr Wallace said there would be ‘consequences’ of any aggression towards Ukraine.

Tensions on the Ukrainian border continue to be fraught, with the US suggesting a ‘false-flag operation’ is being prepared.

Mr Wallace met his Nordic counterparts last week to discuss Russia’s continued aggression and military build-up of 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s border.

The Defence Secretary said: ‘The UK and our Nordic partners are united in our approach to upholding European security.

‘My discussions this week have been directly about deepening bilateral relations, shared security and the consequences of Russian aggression towards Ukraine.

‘Our discussions were clear that a Russian invasion of Ukraine would be a strategic mistake, violating the most basic freedoms and sovereignty.’

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