TODAY: Nato warns of Russia threat; Putin announces plans to ban Western agricultural products, Brazil and Argentina step up to replace supplies; Putin support at new high; hacker group in spotlight; American NGO worker to be deported without clarification; strip search at World Cup city stadium.

Nato has warned of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine, stating that there are roughly 20,000 combat-ready troops on the border. ‘[W]hat Russia is doing on the ground […] is of great concern.’  Following through on statements he made earlier this week, President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree limiting and in some cases banning imports of agricultural products from all countries that have imposed sanctions on Russia, for up to one year.  All U.S. agricultural products may be banned, as well as all fruits and vegetables from the E.U.  The decree also instructs officials to investigate measures for stabilising commodity markets and preventing food price hikes, ‘in tacit recognition that Russian consumers will bear the cost of the import ban’.  Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin says that, in the long-term, it is the West that will suffer: ‘You may lose a market in an hour but it may take decades to restore.’  State-run Russia Today published a defence of the announcement as a much-needed act of protection against ‘Western economic aggression’.  Brazilian poultry exporters say they are ready to replace U.S. supplies by adding 150,000 tons yearly to their current volume; and Argentina’s meat producers are also interested in plugging market gaps.  Former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, writes in the New York Times says Western military support for Ukraine is the best bet to defend against Russian aggression.