Ukraine: Russia plans biggest war in Europe since 1945 - Boris Johnson

Evidence suggests Russia is planning "the biggest war in Europe since 1945", Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.

He told the BBC's Sophie Raworth in an interview: "All the signs are that the plan has already in some senses begun."

Intelligence suggests Russia intends to launch an invasion that will encircle Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Mr Johnson said.

"People need to understand the sheer cost in human life that could entail," he said.

The prime minister was speaking from Munich, where world leaders are meeting for an annual security conference.

The latest estimates by the US government suggests the number of Russian troops now stationed along Ukraine's border, both in Russia and neighbouring Belarus, is between 169,000 and 190,000.

Western officials have warned in recent weeks that Russia could be preparing to invade at any time, but Russia has denied the claims, saying troops are conducting military exercises in the region.

Asked whether a Russian invasion is still thought to be imminent, Mr Johnson said: "I'm afraid that that is what the evidence points to, there's no burnishing it.

"The fact is that all the signs are that the plan has already in some senses begun."

Mr Johnson was speaking after meeting with Western leaders and the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The full interview will be broadcast on BBC One's Sunday Morning programme at 09:00 GMT.