Representatives of Western intelligence agencies believe that Vladimir Putin wants to take control of most of Ukraine’s territory. Ukrainian intelligence believes that a Russian invasion is planned for the winter.
U.S. and British intelligence officials are becoming increasingly convinced that Russian President Vladimir Putin is considering a military invasion to take control of most of Ukraine or destabilize the country, which could help bring pro-Russian politicians to power, golosameriki.com reported.
U.S. intelligence officials have warned allies that they have very little time left to thwart Moscow’s plans to launch a war against Ukraine. This information may prompt European countries to develop a joint package of economic and military sanctions with the United States to deter Russia, the New York Times said, citing sources in the US administration and the European Union leadership.
The head of the main intelligence directorate of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry, Kyrylo Budanov, told Military Times that Russia had concentrated over 92,000 troops near Ukraine’s borders and was preparing to attack by late January-early February. The head of Ukrainian intelligence noted that the attack would likely include airstrikes, artillery, and armored attacks followed by amphibious assaults in the east, amphibious assaults in Odesa and Mariupol, and a smaller-scale invasion through Belarus.
According to intelligence, the Kremlin is planning an attack that should be much larger than any Russian military action against Ukraine since 2014, pravda.com.ua writes.
Alyaksandr Lukashenka recently said in an interview with the Russian military magazine National Defense that he wants to deploy several divisions of Russian Iskander missile systems in the western and southern directions (against Poland and Ukraine).
