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UKRAINE has imposed martial law after its president claimed Russia is preparing a "large scale" ground attack.
Petro Poroshenko made the shocking allegations in a live TV address to the nation as he revealed he is introducing the measure in order to "ensure security."
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He said he has "serious grounds" to believe Russia is ready to follow up the weekend's outrageous naval clashes in the Black Sea with a full-scale ground attack.
However, some critics say Poroshenko could be using World War 3 fears as a vote winner ahead of his country's elections.
Donald Trump tonight said the US would work with Europe to address the escalating tensions.
If the invasion news is true, it will send shudders down the spines who remember Russia's controversial annexation of the Crimea in 2014.
Back then thousands died in fighting between Ukrainian troops and the separatists. Many more found themselves homeless.
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What we know so far...
- Ukraine president Petro Poroshenko claims Russia is preparing a ground invasion on his country.
- He has introduced a month-long stint of martial law to ensure Ukraine's national "security".
- Two Ukrainian artillery ships and a tug boat were fired upon by the Russians - in clashes which left six seaman injured.
- The Berdyansk and Nikopol gunboats and the Yana Kapa tug tried to sail from Odessa to Mariupol in the Sea of Azov.
- Russia scrambled two fighter jets and two helicopters to the area accusing the ships of illegally entering its waters.
- The Ukrainian navy later said the boats had been hit and disabled as they tried to leave the area.
- Donald Trump says the US would work with Europe to address the escalating tensions.
Ukraine's worried president called an emergency summit of his war cabinet after military tensions in the troubled region reached boiling point.
The move came hours after Russia fired on Ukrainian ships and captured 23 sailors sparking fears of war, with the UN and NATO both frantically arranging emergency meetings.
The British government condemned Russia's "act of aggression" adding: "It is further evidence of Russia’s destabilising influence in the region."
Trump said: "We do not like what’s happening either way. We don't like what's happening, and hopefully it’ll get straightened out.
"I know Europe is not, they are not thrilled.
"They’re working on it too. We’re all working on it together."
Ukraine's decree states "Martial Law in Ukraine will effective from November 26 to January 25, 2019." It was later cut back to a month.
The order could see the imposition of direct military control over the nation's people.
It could also mean control of TV stations, compulsory military service, a ban on demos and even a suspension of elections for the sake of national security.
Uefa is keeping an eye on the situation, but says Arsenal's Europa League tie with is still scheduled to go ahead.
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The news comes after Ukrainian foreign minister Pavlo Klimkin warned it was likely "Russia plans further acts of aggression at seas or on the ground.”
The UN security council will hold an emergency meeting today to address escalating fears the Black Sea skirmish could lead to further military clashes.
Sunday’s hostilities began when Russia stopped three Ukrainian navy vessels passing beneath a bridge in the hotly-contested Kerch Strait.
Two artillery ships and a tug boat were subsequently fired upon and seized - in clashes which left at least six Ukrainian seaman injured.
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Russia said its patrol boats seized the vessels and crew after they entered its territorial waters illegally and carried out “provocative actions”.
“Their aim is clear - to create a conflict situation in this region,” Russia's hardline secret service the FSB said early on Monday.
However, Ukraine insists it had given Russia plenty of advance warning of the route being taken by its ships.
The incident, in waters off the Crimean Peninsula, marks a major escalation of tension between the two countries.
Each country blames the other for the worrying incident in which two gunboats and a tug were eventually captured by Putin's navy.
What is martial law?
Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of the usual functions carried out by a government.
It is usually introduced for a limited period and often as a reaction to either an emergency, major disaster or invasion.
It gives authorities the power to limit public rallies and curb the media.
Curfews are introduced, civil rights are suspended and military law is often extended to include the general public.
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Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin says the captured seamen should be treated as prisoners of war.
Klimkin told reporters in Kiev that the government is in talks with the Red Cross to make sure the seamen are treated as prisoners of war.
Six Ukrainians were injured after Russian border guards opened fire on three Ukrainian military vessels in the Kerch Strait on Sunday.
The vessels and the crews were captured by the Russians.
There have been growing tensions between the two sides over access to waters off the Crimean peninsula - annexed by Russia in 2014.
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The confrontation is a dangerous development in a conflict pitting Ukraine against Russian-backed rebels in the east of the country.
Thousands died in fighting between Ukrainian troops and the separatists during the annexation of the Crimea.
Under a 2003 treaty between Moscow and Kiev, the Kerch Straight and the Sea of Azov are shared territorial waters.
But recently, Russia began inspecting all vessels sailing to or from Ukrainian ports in the area.
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However, the weekend's violence is the first time that Russian and Ukrainian fighters have officially clashed since 2014.
Now Ukrainian MPs are said to have voted to declare nationwide martial law following a plea by Poroshenko.
He insisted the move was not a declaration of war but intended for defence purposes - as his people took to the streets to protest at Russia's actions.
The confrontation is a dangerous development in a conflict pitting Ukraine against Russian-backed rebels in the east of the country.
Thousands died in fighting between Ukrainian troops and the separatists during the annexation of the Crimea by Russia in 2014.
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Russian ships block Ukrainian navy from entering Sea of Azov
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine have been building for months off the coast of Crimea.
Under a 2003 treaty between Moscow and Kiev, the Kerch Straight and the Sea of Azov are shared territorial waters.
But recently, Russia began inspecting all vessels sailing to or from Ukrainian ports in the area.
However, the weekend's violence is the first time the neighbouring country's fighters have officially clashed since 2014.
The US has already revealed it is ready to expand arms supplies to Ukraine to bolster the country's defence forces in the face of Russian pressure.
In May, Congress approved $250m in military assistance to Ukraine in 2019, including lethal weaponry.
Russian coastguard vessel 'Don' rams onto Ukrainian tugboat in the Black Sea in 'openly aggressive actions'
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The European Union's executive urged Russia to release three Ukrainian ships it seized at the weekend near the Crimean peninsula that it annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
A spokeswoman stressed that the bloc does not recognise Russia's annexation of Crimea and said Russia was obliged to unblock the Kerch Strait swiftly.
"We are taking this very seriously," the spokeswoman said.
Nato also called on Russia to ensure unhindered access to Ukrainian ports in the Sea of Azov in accordance with international law, calling for calm on both sides.
Spokesperson Oana Lungescu said: “Nato is closely monitoring developments in the Azov Sea and the Kerch Strait, and we are in contact with the Ukrainian authorities.
"We call for restraint and de-escalation.”
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The vote on martial law comes four months before presidential elections that Poroshenko is expected to lose.
If Ukrainian MPs vote to suspend normal government, the elections could be postponed, prompting some to ask if Poroshenko is exploiting the incident
Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin has even said the Black Sea incident was premeditated.
"Obviously, it was a provocation, with its time, location and form premeditated," he said.
"The aims are clear: to shake Ukraine up via imposing martial law, and to mobilise the anti-Russian policies of the West, to step up the anti-Russian sanctions.
"Obviously, it is easier for Poroshenko to carry out his election campaign amid this background."