Ukraine’s government sought to play down airline concerns and dismissed fears of a de facto closure of Ukrainian airspace as “nonsense”.

“The most important point is that Ukraine itself sees no point in closing the sky. This is nonsense. And, in my opinion, it somewhat resembles a kind of partial blockade,” Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, said.

The Israeli government is said to be considering a major military evacuation of citizens from Ukraine, after it was reportedly briefed by Washington that the invasion may begin on Tuesday.

Naftali Bennett, the Israeli prime minister, hopes to evacuate citizens from Ukraine before any fighting begins, Haaretz reported. The Israeli foreign ministry says around 15,000 Israelis are based in Ukraine.

Benny Gantz, the Israeli defence minister, has put the army on standby to assist in airlifting citizens out of Ukraine should the need arise, Haaretz reported.