RUSSIA’s invasion of Ukraine will be rightly condemned by every democratic nation in the world, says local MP Ian Liddell-Grainger.

And he said the world would need to unite to close down any further territorial ambitions Vladimir Putin might be harbouring.

His comments came just hours after Russian forces launched missile strikes across Ukraine in what was a major military assault.

Mr Liddell-Grainger, MP for Bridgwater and West Somerset, said the Russians had ’blatantly broken every rule in the book’ with their action.

"It has probably come as no great surprise to many people after all the posturing and manoeuvring of the last few weeks," he said.

"But what it has demonstrated is that Putin has lost every shred of international respect he ever had and has shown his true colours - someone whose word cannot be trusted.

"Many people will die because of his actions but clearly that counts for nothing as far as he is concerned. But we must do everything possible to thwart his ambitions because once he has Ukraine in his grasp there is nothing to say he won’t be eyeing Poland or the Baltic states next.

"And we simply cannot let a tyrant wreck the strenuous efforts that have been employed over the last decades to make Europe a more stable and peaceful community after generations of conflict."