Ukraine on the brink: Putin could seize power "with click of fingers", warns top Nato boss

VLADIMIR Putin could take hold of Ukraine at the click of his fingers in just three days, a NATO commander warned yesterday.

The Russian president has built up an army so strong that it could easily roll in and seize power of its neighbour.
And US Air Force General Philip Breedlove is warning that a full-blown invasion could happen quickly if Putin gives the order.
Russian firepower amassed on the Ukrainian border includes 40,000 soldiers, 270 tanks, 180 armoured vehicles, 90 helicopters, 140 jets and 19 ships.
General Breedlove said: "This is a very large and very capable and very ready force."

“This is a very large and very capable and very ready force”

General Philip Breedlove

He added: "We think it is ready to go and we think it could accomplish its objectives in between three and five days."
Russia said it has no intention of invading Ukraine.
However, it has asserted a right to intervene and protect ethnic Russians since the Moscow-backed Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovich was ousted in February.
Russia seizing and annexing the Ukraine's Crimea region has caused the biggest crisis in East-West relations since the Cold War.
This has led to the United States and Europe including the UK to impose sanctions on Russia.