Ukrainian intelligence: Russia is preparing an invasion at the beginning of the year

Photo: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine

Russia transferred more than 92 thousand military to the borders with Ukraine and is preparing to start the invasion in late January or early February 2022, said Kirill Budanov, head of the Main Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine Kirill Budanov, in an interview with MilitaryTimes.

According to Budanov, the Russian operation will include air strikes, artillery and armored attacks simultaneously with landing from air in eastern Ukraine and landing from the sea in Odessa and Mariupol, as well as a lesser in scale of invitation through Belarus.

As Budanov noted, the “West 2021” exercises showed that Russia can land at the same time up to 3,500 paratroopers and military personnel of special operations.

The Minister of Defense of Ukraine Alexei Reznikov, visiting Washington, said on Friday in an interview with The Washington Post, that Vladimir Putin had not yet decided whether "to cross the Ukrainian border and burn the bridges - or to continue to bargain and find something interesting for him."

Budanov, commenting on this statement, said that Russia increases the number of troops and weapons systems in the annexed Crimea, and placed the Iskander missile systems along the border and other weapons.

The main military intelligence officer predicts that this time the Russian attack will be much more destructive than everything that has happened since 2014. Budanov considers the “weather” argument: “This (winter cold. - Ed.) Not a problem for us and Russians.”

According to Budanov, the invasion will be preceded by a series of psychological operations aimed at destabilizing in the country and undermining its ability to defend itself. “They want to light the riots through protests and rallies that show that people are configured against the government,” he explained. Budanov cited a protest against coronavirus vaccination as an example, which, according to him, were organized by Russia. Russia also tries to enrich anti -government moods in connection with Wagnergate - the failure of the final stage of the operation to detain Russian war criminals. In addition, the Kremlin, according to Budanov, will try to enrich the riots, stuck with the economy and energy supply. Budanov believes that the border conflict of Poland with Belarus is part of this psychological war.

Budanov noted that the assessments of Ukrainian and American intelligence officers regarding Russia's attack on Ukraine almost coincide.

According to The New York Times, American intelligence warned European allies that they had only a small window to prevent Russia in Ukraine - the United States pushing Europeans to develop a package of economic and military measures to restrain Moscow. According to American officials, Russia has not yet decided what to do with the troops tightened to the Ukrainian border, but Washington considers the increase in forces seriously and does not consider the actions of Moscow bluff.

This week, National Intelligence Director Everyl Haynes visited Brussels to acquaint NATO ambassadors with intelligence about the situation in Ukraine and a possible Russian invasion. On Friday, the chairman of the United Committee of the Chiefs of the United States, General Mark Millie, talked on the phone with the Commander -in -Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny. The military leaders discussed "the current situation in the field of security in Eastern Europe, including causing fears of Russia's action in the region." Millie "emphasized the need to continue consultations between allies and partners in the region, confirming that the United States supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine."

Russia again began to tighten the troops to the Ukrainian borders in early November, initially in Kiev they denied an increase in the number of Russian forces on the border .

On Sunday, the Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Ukraine of "seeking another attempt to begin the forceful solution of her own problem." “To create another misfortune for themselves and for everyone in Europe. This is what Ukraine achieves,” Peskov said. - And she achieves this, most likely, under the cover of the same NATO teachings, NATO ships in the Black Sea - American, British soldiers in the region, which are becoming more and more. "" This is a heartbreaking sight, because it will entail the most serious consequences, "Peskov threatened.