RUSSIA PLANNING UKRAINE OFFENSIVE WITH UP TO 175,000 TROOPS: REPORT

Sat 04 December 2021:

According to a report released on Friday, Russia is planning a military offensive against Ukraine as soon as early next year, amid Ukraine’s claims that Moscow has deployed more than 90,000 troops on its border.

According to the Washington Post, citing US officials and an intelligence document, the planned campaign could be a multi-front offensive involving as many as 175,000 troops.

“The plans involve extensive movement of 100 battalion tactical groups with an estimated 175,000 personnel, along with armor, artillery and equipment,” an anonymous administration official told the Post.

Russia is amassing forces in four locations, according to the intelligence document obtained. According to the unclassified document, which includes satellite photos, Moscow has deployed 50 battlefield tactical groups, as well as tanks and artillery.

Earlier in the day, Ukraine’s Defense Minister, Oleksiy Reznikov, said Russia had deployed nearly 94,000 troops on the Ukrainian border and warned that a large-scale escalation could occur in January.

On Thursday, the US warned Russia against any new military aggression against Ukraine and urged it to follow through on its commitments under the Minsk agreements.

Also on Friday, US President Joe Biden said he is working on a series of initiatives to “make it very, very difficult” for Russia to launch an invasion of Ukraine.

Biden said he is in constant contact with US allies in Europe through Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Security Advisor Jake Sullivan during a White House address.

“And what I am doing is putting together what I believe to be will be the most comprehensive and meaningful set of initiatives to make it very, very difficult for Mr. Putin to go ahead and do what people are worried he may do. That’s in play right now,” he said.

Meanwhile, a Russian official said on Friday that a video meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Biden could happen “in the very next few days.”

The two presidents intend to discuss the implementation of decisions reached at a June summit in Geneva, bilateral relations, and the situations in Afghanistan, Iran, Ukraine, Libya, and Syria, among other topics. President Vladimir Putin’s foreign policy adviser, Yury Ushakov, told reporters in Moscow.

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