The lead story in the Financial Times says that, according to Western intelligence, Russia is massing aircraft within striking range of Ukraine, indicating that Moscow is preparing to escalate its attacks on the country as the one-year anniversary of the war approaches. The paper’s main image shows Chinese President Xi Jinping welcoming his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi to Beijing, while an article at the bottom of the front page says Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Chancellor Jeremy Hunt are discussing backdating the new year’s pay award for NHS staff as part of efforts to end the wave of public sector strikes.