Russia may launch an invasion in January-February
Russia may start active actions against Ukraine in early February next year. About this in an interview with the publication Military times Kirill Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, has been announced.
According to Budanov, now Russia is concentrated at the border with Ukraine, more than 92 thousand military personnel. The risks of an invasion, according to him, with the arrival of winter and the establishment of stable cold weather only increase – possible severe frosts.
According to the Ukrainian head of intelligence, the actions of Russian troops were larger than in 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea, and according to numerous testimonies (Russia itself denies this), provided armed support to separatists in Donbass. Budanov suggested that the attack could be accompanied by air strikes, amphibious operations in Odessa and Mariupol, and armored vehicles, including from the territory of Belarus, could also be involved. The south and east of Ukraine are still identified as possible targets for the attack, regions among which a number of Russian politicians, including Vladimir Putin, referred to as “Novorossiya”.
At the same time, according to Budanov, before starting the invasion, Russia will conduct “psychological operations” in order to undermine the combat capability of Ukraine. To such operations, he partly, inciting unrest related to the economic situation or dissatisfaction with the measures to combat the coronavirus. According to him, Russia intends to use the alleged fighters of the Wagner PMC in 2020, which the Ukrainian opposition blames the authorities for disrupting.
Earlier, the American media also reported about the possible preparation of a Russian attack on Ukraine. At the same time, it was noted that the Kremlin has not yet made a final decision.
The New York Times, American and British intelligence services, the newspaper writes, are more and more convinced that Vladimir Putin is considering the option of conducting a military operation either with the aim of seizing most of the territory of Ukraine. government. Great European supply force from Russian natural gas supplies.
Official Washington and its EU partners have expressed concern about the buildup of Russian forces along the perimeter of the Ukrainian border. It was reported that a number of NATO countries, in particular Great Britain, intend to send their military to Ukraine to contain Russia. Official Kiev previously denied the increase in the threat.
The Kremlin denies any preparations for an invasion of Ukraine, while at the same time accusing Western countries of escalating tensions, in particular in the Black Sea. Putin, speaking on the official website of the Foreign Ministry, said that Russia should receive guarantees of its security from the West.