‘Russia at 70 per cent of Ukraine military buildup'

A local throws a Molotov cocktail during an all-Ukrainian training campaign “Don’t panic! Get ready!” close to Kyiv, Sunday. Pic/AP

Russia has assembled at least 70 per cent of the military firepower it likely intends to have in place by mid-month to give President Vladimir Putin the option of launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, US officials say.

The officials, who discussed internal assessments of the Russian buildup on condition they not be identified, sketched out a series of indicators suggesting Putin intends an invasion in coming weeks, although the size and scale are unclear. They stressed a diplomatic solution remains possible. Among those military indicators: an exercise of Russia's strategic nuclear forces that usually is held each fall was rescheduled for mid-February to March. That coincides with what U.S. officials see as the most likely window for invasion. The officials made no suggestion that a prospective conflict would involve the use of nuclear weapons, but the Russian exercise - likely involving the test-launching of unarmed long-range missiles on Russian territory - could be used as a message aimed at deterring the West from intervening in Ukraine.

U.S. officials have said in recent weeks that a Russian invasion could overwhelm Ukraine's military relatively quickly, although Moscow might find it difficult to sustain an occupation and cope with a potential insurgency. The Russian buildup comes as the Biden administration has been disclosing intelligence in hopes of preemptively countering Russian disinformation and blocking Putin's plans for creating a pretext for an invasion. But it is under criticism for not providing evidence to back up many of its claims.

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