Russian armoured tanks painted with a letter 'Z' move towards Ukraine border in huge convoys and eastern region is rocked by shelling as British expats vow to 'fight like devils'

 A Russian invasion force of armoured tanks painted with a letter 'Z' and huge convoys were seen rolling towards the Ukraine border - as the eastern region continues to be rocked by shelling and British expats have vowed to 'fight like devils'. 

Around 200 military vehicles were spotted in Shebekino, Russia, just across the border from Ukraine's Kharkiv Oblast, with 'Z' markings 'applied hastily' to the backs of most vehicles.

It is suspected the markings have been allocated for specific roles amid rising tensions over an imminent invasion, with footage showing the letters sprayed on tanks, self-propelled guns, fuel trucks and supply vehicles.

Independent Russian Telegram channel Hunter's Notes, which closely monitors military movements, said 'all equipment [marked with 'Z'] was seen near Kursk and in the Shebekino region of Belgorod' on the border with Ukraine. 

The tactic mirrors that used by UK and US forces in the First Gulf War when the allied invasion sent to liberate Kuwait marked vehicles with a distinctive upturned chevron [^] to avoid friendly fire once action begins.  

The Ukraine War Report account on Twitter, which posts about Russian troop movements near Ukraine, said: 'Numerous videos are being uploaded of Russian military vehicles with "Z" markings. Our assessment is it's "friend or foe" identification markings used by armies during wartime.' 

Military analyst Rob Lee wrote on Twitter: 'It appears Russian forces near the border are painting markers, in this case "Z", on vehicles to identify different task forces or echelons.'

'It would suggest final preparations are complete,' a source in Ukraine told The Sun. 'The Ukrainians have very similar tanks and vehicles and [the Russians] will want to reduce the risk of friendly fire.'  

It was suggested Russian troops also have the letter 'Z' on their military packs, which could support the friendly fire theory.

It comes as explosions shook eastern Ukraine late on Saturday, after the NATO chief warned the signals coming out of Russia suggest that Moscow is readying for a 'full-fledged attack'. 

Hundreds of artillery shells have exploded along the contact line between Ukrainian soldiers and Russia-backed separatists, further increasing fears that the volatile region could see a Russian invasion. 

Thousands of civilians have been evacuated from increasingly barraged front line regions, where Kyiv said two of its soldiers had died in an attack yesterday - the first fatalities in the conflict for more than a month.

But one British expat said he was part of a small community ready to help armed resistance volunteers and 'fight like devils' in the event of an invasion.

He told the BBC: 'We are here, we are ready to fight and we will fight like devils, I tell you. There is a small expat community here but we will join with our Ukrainian partners, our Ukrainian friends and Ukrainian family.'  

French President Emmanuel Macron will call Russia's Vladimir Putin on Sunday to try to avert what Western powers predict will be an imminent invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for Vladimir Putin to meet him for talks amid the escalating crisis, saying 'I don't know what the president of the Russian Federation wants', but that Ukraine would continue 'to follow only the diplomatic path'.

The Kremlin insists it has no incursion plans, but its test-firing of nuclear-capable missiles Saturday did little to alleviate tensions.

However, British and US intelligence has suggested that Putin has already issued a 'go' order to trigger his invasion plan.

It is expected that Russia will follow false flag operations and brushes with Ukrainian military in the Donbas region with an attack led by separatist groups, before Russian troops 'take a bite out of Ukraine' or launch a full invasion, The Sunday Times reports.  

A security source added: 'I would expect a massive opening salvo to try to remove the government in Kyiv. The Russians have positioned cruise missiles to take out the capital.'

Dmitry Polyanskiy, the first deputy permanent representative of Russia to the United Nations, has also accused the West of 'warmongering' by creating an 'artificial crisis' in Ukraine.

He told Sky News' Trevor Phillips On Sunday programme that Moscow had the 'right to be concerned' by the placement of Nato infrastructure and troops 'near our border'.  

Russian armoured tanks painted with a letter 'Z' and huge convoys are moving towards the Ukraine border. It is suspected the markings have been allocated for specific roles amid rising tensions over an imminent invasion - as shelling rocked the east of the country 

The tactic mirrors that used by UK and US forces in the First Gulf War when the allied invasion sent to liberate Kuwait marked vehicles with a distinctive upturned chevron [^] to avoid friendly fire once action begins

It is suspected the markings have been allocated for specific roles amid rising tensions over an imminent invasion, with footage showing the letters sprayed on tanks, self-propelled guns, fuel trucks and supply vehicles

A Russian and Belarussian convoy heading south via the Gomel region towards the border with Ukraine. 

Memebers of the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination (JCCC) on ceasefire and stabilization of the demarcation line inspect a house damaged in a shelling by Ukrainian troops near the village of Pionerskoye

A car bomb in Donetsk close to the Government House building at around 7pm on Saturday. It comes as 1,500 ceasefire violations were reported in east Ukraine in one day

Military hardware of Russian Army Western Military District tank army units loaded onto a troop train as it returns from recent routine drills to permanent deployment sites

Anton Olegovich Sidorov, a soldier of the 30th OMBR, is understood to have been killed during the Russian shelling in the East of Ukraine yesterday

A convoy of tanks 25km from the Ukraine border as it is confirmed that Russian military exercises in Belarus will continue on Sunday

Civilians from Donetsk and Lugansk, located in the separatist-controlled Donbas region, are being evacuated to camps in Rostov, Russia

People who have been evacuated from the separatist-controlled regions of eastern Ukraine fill in and submit documents in a temporary accommodation centre in the Rostob region of Russia on Sunday

A car bomb in Donetsk on Saturday evening. Civilians have been evacuated from the region, where Kyiv said two of its soldiers had died in an attack

Civilians train with members of the Georgian Legion, a paramilitary unit formed mainly by ethnic Georgian volunteers to fight against the Russian forces in 201. It comes as one British expat said a small community would 'fight like devils'

Russian tanks pictured leaving the border with Ukraine on Friday following the completion of joint exercises with Belarus as diplomatic tensions continue to mount over fears of an imminent invasion