Host of countries tell their citizens to head for exit

A string of countries, including Japan, Sweden and Saudi Arabia, yesterday joined a chorus of calls for their citizens to get out of Ukraine, after the United States warned that a Russian invasion of its neighbour could begin within days with "aerial bombing and missile attacks".

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters in Washington on Friday that it was not yet known whether President Vladimir Putin had taken a decision, but the US was bracing itself for the worst, including a "rapid assault" on the capital Kyiv.