There are fears - not for the first time - that Russia is readying itself to invade Ukraine.
The threat is causing great concern among Western leaders, but evidently not enough for Ukraine's social media admin to lose their sense of humour.
The country's Twitter account shared a meme illustrating varying types of headaches, with red patches highlighting the areas affected by migraines, hypertension and stress.
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And then there is a head which is entirely red, captioned: "Living next to Russia."
The tweet has been liked more than 392,000 times, with the Taiwan Digital Diplomacy Association responding with the same meme, with Russia subbed out for China.
But while the tone might be lighthearted on Twitter, the reality on the ground is much more serious, with Russian troops congregating by the border.
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Ukraine has claimed that Russia is holding 'training camps under the leadership of regular servicemen of the Russian Armed Forces' and 'reinforcing units near the contact line … with additional 122mm self-propelled artillery vehicles, tanks and infantry fighting vehicles', as well as increasing the number of sniper teams in the area.
Russia and Ukraine have been locked in a bitter tug-of-war since 2014, when Moscow annexed the peninsula of Crimea and threw its weight behind a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine.
The fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed rebels has since killed more than 14,000 people.
Ukraine and the West accused Russia of sending its troops and weapons to back the separatists, which Moscow has repeatedly denied, with the Kremlin insisting that Russia is not a party to the conflict.
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Tensions have reignited again this year amid reports of a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine’s border, which Ukrainian and Western officials feared could indicate Moscow’s plan to invade its ex-Soviet neighbour.
US intelligence officials have determined that Russia has massed about 70,000 troops near its border with Ukraine and has begun planning for a possible invasion as early as next year.
Moscow has denied plans to attack Ukraine and in turn blamed Ukraine for its own military buildup in the war-torn east, alleging that Kyiv might try to reclaim the areas controlled by the rebels by force.
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Speaking yesterday (Wednesday 8 December), UK foreign secretary Liz Truss warned it would be a 'strategic mistake' for Russia to increase pressure on Ukraine.
She said: "Together we will send a clear message that any incursion by Russia into Ukraine would be a strategic mistake. As President Biden said, there would be ‘very real costs’ to pay.
"We stand with Ukraine in supporting their security and defence, and helping them become more energy independent. Later today, I will be meeting my Ukrainian counterpart Dymtro Kuleba to strengthen our ties further."
Featured Image Credit: Twitter/Ukraine
