Russian marines practice beach landings<\/p>\n
The U.S. has shared intelligence including maps with allies in Europe, sources told Bloomberg<\/a> Sunday \u2014 intelligence that \u201cshows a buildup of Russian troops and artillery to prepare for a rapid, large-scale push into Ukraine from multiple locations\u201d in the event of an invasion, more than seven years after Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in a move widely condemned<\/a> by the West.<\/p>\n Thousands of Russian troops have reportedly<\/a> amassed near the border with Ukraine in recent days near areas controlled by Russian-backed separatists.<\/p>\n American intelligence officials have shared information with allies warning of a possible Russian incursion, according to reports, with the New York Times<\/em><\/a> saying Friday \u201cthe buildup is being taken seriously and the United States is not assuming it is a bluff.\u201d<\/p>\n Bloomberg reported that Moscow has \u201ccalled up tens of thousands of reservists on a scale unprecedented in post-Soviet times\u201d who would likely be used \u201cto secure territory in a later phase,\u201d citing two unnamed sources.<\/p>\n European allies have been engaging in an \u201cincreasingly frantic diplomatic effort\u201d with President Vladimir Putin to deter such an invasion after the U.S. assessment \u201cthat Putin could be weighing an invasion early next year,\u201d Bloomberg said.<\/p>\n The head of Ukraine\u2019s defense intelligence agency told Military Times<\/em><\/a> Saturday Russia is planning an attack around the end of January or early February that would likely involve \u201cairstrikes, artillery and armor attacks\u201d followed by airborne and amphibious assaults and a smaller land incursion through neighboring Belarus.<\/p>\n 100,000<\/a>. That\u2019s approximately how many Russian troops are believed to have gathered on the Ukrainian border.<\/p>\n \u201cWe see an unusual concentration of troops, and we know that Russia has been willing to use these types of military capabilities before to conduct aggressive actions against Ukraine,\u201d NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg<\/a> said of the recent troop buildup. Moscow for its part has dismissed such concerns as \u201calarmist<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n Tensions have been high ever since Russia illegally annexed<\/a> the peninsula of Crimea in 2014, something the United States and its allies have been vocally critical<\/a> of ever since. In February President Joe Biden reiterated<\/a> that the U.S. \u201cdoes not and will never recognize Russia\u2019s purported annexation of the peninsula\u201d and repeated his support for Ukraine in the face of Russia\u2019s \u201caggressive acts.\u201d Russia expert Timothy Ash told CNBC<\/a> that Putin \u201cwants Ukraine, as he never accepted its loss in \u201991 with the collapse of the USSR, and sees Ukraine as central to his vision of Greater Russia.\u201d Both nations were part of the Soviet Union before its collapse<\/a> in 1991; Crimea became part of Ukraine in 1954 and has been a flashpoint<\/a> ever since.<\/p>\n \u201cU.S. Intel Shows Russian Plans for Potential Ukraine Invasion<\/a>\u201d (Bloomberg)<\/p>\n \u201cU.S. Warns Allies of Possible Russian Incursion as Troops Amass Near Ukraine<\/a>\u201d (New York Times<\/em>)<\/p>\n \u201cRussia preparing to attack Ukraine by late January: Ukraine defense intelligence agency chief<\/a>\u201d (Military Times<\/em>)<\/p>\n \u201cThe world is worried Putin is about to invade Ukraine. Here\u2019s why<\/a>\u201d (CNBC)<\/p>\n \u201cRussia-Ukraine border: Nato warning over military build-up<\/a>\u201d (BBC News)<\/p>\n \u201cEverything you need to know about the Ukraine crisis<\/a>\u201d (Vox)<\/p>\nKey Facts<\/h2>\n
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