Over 40% of Russian forces on the Ukraine border are now in combat mode, and Moscow has launched a destabilization campaign, a US defense official warned Friday. The US, which believes Moscow has stationed over 150,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders, has noticed substantial activity since Wednesday, the person said on condition of anonymity.
“Between 40% and 50% are in an attack position. They have uncoiled during the previous 48 hours in the tactical assembly “According to the official, reporters. Tactical assembly points are areas adjacent to the border where military units are assembled before an attack. According to the official, Moscow has massed 125 battalion tactical groups along the Ukraine border, up from 60 in normal circumstances and 80 at the start of February.
Skirmishes in Ukraine can be used as justification for Invasion by Russia
Increased skirmishes between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian government forces in Ukraine’s southeastern Donbas area, as well as provocative statements by Russian and Donbas authorities, indicate that “the destabilization campaign has begun,” the official said. Washington has warned Russia for weeks that it could incite or create an incident in the area to justify an invasion of Ukraine.
According to Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of Defense, Vladimir Putin “has a lot of alternatives available to him and could attack in short order.” “I don’t believe it’s a bluff,” Austin continued, adding, “I believe he’s gathered the kinds of equipment necessary for a successful invasion.”
Moscow denies any intention to attack its western neighbor but seeks a guarantee that Ukraine would never join NATO and that the Western alliance withdraws its forces from Eastern Europe, both of which the West has refused. Russia invaded and occupied Ukraine’s Crimea area in 2014, utilizing supportive insurgents.