THOUSANDS of families could be wrenched apart if Ukraine is carved up like post-World War Two Germany, a former Nato commander has warned.
Ukrainians who try to cross the border and escape Russian-occupied territory could face execution, Hamish de Bretton Gordon told The Sun.
Donald Trump’s envoy General Keith Kellogg suggested that Ukraine could be carved up “like Berlin after World War II” as part of a peace plan.
The plan – which is still far away from reality – could see a reinforced border running the length of Ukraine and dividing it into two halves.
Between the two sides would be Ukrainian forces and Russian forces operating behind a roughly 18-mile wide demilitarised zone (DMZ).
Colonel de Bretton-Gordon outlined that people in the Russian-occupied region of Ukraine would probably be restricted from crossing the borders and entering Ukrainian territory.
And if they try to, Russian forces would most likely shoot them dead in chilling echoes of post-World War Two Germany.
Colonel de Bretton-Gordon said: “The burning scenario would be where people could cross over those lines through checkpoints.
“No doubt there will be an awful lot of Ukrainians who don’t want to serve under Russian rule.
“There would be many families caught up on the wrong sides.
“Even now there are many families in the Oblasts under Russian control who want to escape Putin’s rule.”
Hundreds were slaughtered in cold blood by Russian officers guarding the Berlin Wall in East Germany.
Many families were wrenched apart and were not allowed to reunite.
And history could repeat itself if Ukraine is divided as part of any plan to bring peace between Kyiv and Moscow.
The military expert added: “If there is a ceasefire, and the frontline is a thousand miles long, there will be a lot of opportunity to cross.
“The Berlin wall had Russian guards as well.
“East Germany was completely under the rule and direction of Russia.
“So one would expect a similar sort of activity – the horrific stories of people being shot trying to cross the border.
“Maybe there will be negotiations between the Russians and the Ukrainians to allow people to cross. But you can’t imagine Russia wants to.
“Quite a lot of people would want to go into Ukraine rather than stay in occupied Russian territory, and Russia would look to stop that.”
The former tank commander said there would be heavy armed forces deployed on the Ukrainian side to deter Russian aggression.
General Keith Kellogg proposed that the UK and France could lead zones of control in west Ukraine, acting as a “reassurance force” against Putin.
Kellogg, 80, said the Anglo-French-led force west of the Dnipro would “not be provocative at all” to Vladimir Putin‘s regime.
He also mentioned that Ukraine’s size could allow for multiple armies to enforce a ceasefire, highlighting the country’s capacity in this regard.
Kellogg made a comparison to the post-World War Two period, suggesting a potential division of Ukraine akin to what occurred in Berlin with zones allocated to different powers.
Putin’s plot to ‘weaponise’ Ukrainian children
By Rebecca Husselbee, Assistant Features Editor
VLADIMIR Putin is using “zombie” camps to brainwash Ukrainian kids in a chilling three-stage plan to replenish his Russian army, a top MP has revealed.
Speaking exclusively to The Sun, Dmytro Lubinets, Ukraine’s Human Rights Commissioner, said the Russian tyrant is responsible for the “genocide” of Ukrainian children being forcibly deported across the border.
He described the Kremlin’s disturbing three-stage plan to rid the youngsters of their Ukrainian heritage and brainwash them into becoming Russian citizens.
The plan involves placing children in sinister camps where they speak Russian and sing the national anthem before having their official documents altered and being placed in Russian families.
Often the children are told that their loved ones have abandoned them and that they are now part of the Russian Federation.
But Dmytro revealed that children who refuse to accept their Russian captor’s demands are then being tortured in special rooms within the “re-education” camps.
The snatched youngsters are also forced to take part in the Kremlin’s youth military organisations and train with weapons – part of Putin’s scheme to create a new generation of fighters for his dwindling army, the MP warned.
Ukraine says the young hostages are forced to spend days in windowless torture chambers, without food and water, until they surrender and accept that they are now Russian citizens.
Traumatised Ukrainian kids who have been able to make it back home spoke of the horrific conditions while being held at the camps.
They say they were taken to isolation cells, beaten, and forced to watch as their captors burned the Ukraine flag in front of them and sang the patriotic song “Onward, Russia”.
Dmytro told The Sun: “Sometimes after children return, they tell us about torture, even a special place for children who don’t want to use the Russian language.
“Russians even created special camps for these Ukrainian children…they told us it was a special room torture chamber for children.
“If you don’t want to sing the anthem, the Russians hold you in this room without light, without food, without water, for one day even more.
“Next day, they ask, ‘Do you change your mind or not? Are you ready to sing the Russian anthem or not? If not, okay you can stay longer’.”
He said UK-France forces would be “west of the [Dnipro river], which is a major obstacle”.
In the event of division of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin could also ramp up his sick campaign of snatching Ukrainian children from across the borders – as he has been doing since the start of the war.
Since Putin illegally invaded Ukraine three years ago, tens of thousands of children have been kidnapped and taken into Russia.
Kremlin stooges then disturbingly try to rid the youngsters of their Ukrainian heritage and brainwash them into becoming Russian citizens.
Sinister camps have been set up in Russia where children are sent before having their official documents altered and being placed in Russian families.
Often the children are told that their loved ones have abandoned them and that they are now part of the Russian Federation.
Mariana Betsa, Ukraine’s deputy foreign minister, told The Sun how some children have been abused and suffered sexual violence.
Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs told The Sun how Russia has been using as “weapons” in the war.
At the end of World War Two in September 1945, Germany surrendered to the Allied forces, which included Britain, America, France and the Soviet Union.
The Allies decided to divide control of Germany between themselves.
Each took responsibility for a different part of the country.
Britain, America and France took over the areas in the west of Germany and the Soviet Union controlled the east.
Berlin was in the Soviet zone, but as it was the capital of Germany, it was decided that it would also be divided into four areas – one controlled by each of the four countries.
The American, British and French areas became West Berlin and the Soviet area became East Berlin.
It was constructed as a way of preventing East Germans from entering the Western side.
This 27 mile barrier consisted of two concrete walls. Between these two walls there was a ‘death strip’ approximately 160 yards wide.
A total 136 people died trying to cross the Berlin Wall during its existence. The west side of this wall was covered in graffiti but the east side was not.
The government finally destroyed the wall in 1990, although many parts of it have been left for people to see today.
