The West is examining whether Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey are ready to accept 1,000 NATO troops
Russian President Vladimir Putin is preparing the worst-case scenario for Ukraine with a full-scale invasion of the country. This was stated by the British military, quoted by the Daily Mail.
The region around Ukraine has been on the brink of razor since late last year, when Moscow moved nearly 100,000 troops as well as tanks and missiles near the border.
On Tuesday, the White House warned that the situation was “extremely dangerous” and that the Kremlin could launch an attack “at any time.” It was thought that Putin would choose the easiest option by sending troops to the Donbass region of southeastern Ukraine, after which he would negotiate an independent state, providing a buffer between pro-western Ukraine and Russia.
As the region is already occupied by pro-Russian separatists and has been at war since 2014, it was thought there would be little resistance.
But the latest intelligence shows that Putin is preparing a much larger invasion, which raises concerns about
war that
will erase goals
cities and will
kill millions
According to experts, the Russian president’s troops are already deployed in accordance with his new goal, with entire divisions in Belarus for exercises, but they are located near Kiev.
“We strongly believe that Putin’s desire is for a complete invasion, not a limited offensive. In a sense, he could take as much of Ukraine as he can afford, because the response will be the same. “Moreover, if he simply occupies the eastern regions, he will never be able to retake all of Ukraine because of the inevitable strengthening of Ukrainian forces in the rest of the country after that,” said a senior British defense source.
At the same time, Ukraine warned that Russia had “almost completed” the accumulation of forces that could be used to attack the country, raising fears that Moscow could launch an invasion at any time, CNN reported.
“The total number of Russia’s land group up to the border is over 106,000. Together with the sea and air units, the total number of troops is over 127,000 servicemen “, according to an analysis of the Ukrainian authorities.
In Kiev’s assessment, the situation is described as “difficult”. Ukraine believes that Moscow is “trying to divide and weaken the European Union and NATO.” The analysis added that more than 35,000 pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine were on alert.
The Ukrainian military is convinced that Russia can use medium-range missiles to “destroy vital sites”, noting that Iskander-M complexes have been transferred to the border. They are capable of hitting targets at 500-700 km.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is likely to immediately strengthen the defense of NATO members near Russia’s borders, such as Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, the AP reported. The Alliance already has about 5,000 troops and equipment stationed in these countries. The presence of members of the military pact at the border is already one of Putin’s main complaints against the West.
The countries of Southeast Europe – in particular Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey, are being tested for their readiness to accept a potential NATO battle group of about 1,000 troops and equipment in the Black Sea region, the AP writes.
“There are a number of nations that are interested in accepting these forces,” said Admiral Rob Bauer, head of NATO’s military committee, last week.
Since it is not a member of the alliance, Ukraine
can not
expects military
help
from him as an organization if Russia invades, experts say.
Retired General Ben Hodges, who was commander-in-chief of US forces in Europe from 2014 to 2017, said NATO allies must prepare for the wider consequences of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine. He warned that the militarized Crimean peninsula had become Russia’s “unsinkable aircraft carrier”.
“I would expect that if there is a new offensive on a significant scale, there is a possibility that it will spread by sea, air, cyberattacks,” Hodges was quoted as saying by Reuters. He added: If there is a new offensive, we have three NATO allies in the Black Sea region: Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey … We must take all steps for our collective defense.
Romania is pushing for a larger NATO military presence in the Black Sea, but its southern neighbor Bulgaria fears provoking Russia, Reuters reported.
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinkon arrived in Kiev – the first stage of his tour of the crisis in Ukraine. He had to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to get acquainted with the situation. The administration of US President Joe Biden has announced that it is providing additional $ 200 million in military aid to Ukraine amid growing fears of a Russian invasion.
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