Ukraine accuses Putin’s bombers of plotting to KNOCK-OUT key targets ahead of invasion in yet another explosive claim by Kiev’s government
Nervy Ukrainian top brass allege Russia has been practising large scale air strikes that could cripple the country
UNDER-PRESSURE Ukrainian officials have spotted an array of Russian aircraft practising huge bombing raids on their country as it braces itself for a full-scale invasion.
The east European country is digging in because they are convinced Vladimir Putin wants over-run it and topple its pro-West government.
Tension remain high after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014 and also because of an ongoing conflict between Ukrainian troops and Kremlin backed Russian separatists in the Donbass region.
Ukraine's armed services are working round the clock to dig trenches, install tank traps, road blocks and to build bunkers to repel an invasion.
Russian troops are also massing troops on its border with Ukraine.
But its military chiefs now also fear a knock-out onslaught from the sky after they detected a massive Russian carrying out dummy runs on key installations.
Defence Intelligence Vadym Skibytskiy said: "The Russian leadership does not give up its aggressive plans for Ukraine, continuing to prepare for a possible large-scale offensive against our country.
"On October 26, using the obligations of the Republic of Belarus as an allied state, Russian combat aircraft worked out possible massive air strikes on strategic targets on the territory of Ukraine in the airspace of Belarus."
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According to Ukrainian media, Russian Tu-160 strategic bomber, two long range Tu22M3 jets and two close range Su-34 warplanes have been flying from Belorussian airspace have been practising bombing runs.
An A-50U airborne command and control plane has been coordinating the practice attacks.
It comes weeks after Ukraine's president Petro Poroshenko claimed that a “full-scale invasion” from Russia is possible and warns that Europe and NATO could be “weak” to fight against the “Russian aggression”.
This bleak view has been backed up by influential think tank RAND Corporation who predict after carrying out war games that NATO could be routed by invading Russians within less than 60 hours.
Meanwhile, it emerged today that Ukraine’s neighbour, an ally of Moscow joined Serbia in taking part in huge paratrooper exercises coded named "Slavonic Brotherhood 2016".
After Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine - under the pretext it was helping ethnic Russians from the rebels - it is believed to be bidding to follow the same cunning plan in the so called Donetsk People's Republic.
Dubbed “hybrid war”, it appears to be Putin's favourite tactic.
It involves stirring up tension among people claiming Russian heritage and then stepping in to help them.
The Baltic static states fear they face the same scenario.
On Saturday it emerged that booklets warning of a Russian invasion and offering advice on how to identify tanks, bullets and mines have been distributed by the Lithuanian government.
The crisis in Ukraine and the Baltic states comes as US and Russia are currently at loggerheads over Russian support for Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.
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