These services did not establish whether Vladimir Putin had made the decision to go on the offensive or not. But they believe that the Russian leader wants to give himself the opportunity.
Article written by
Published
Update
Reading time : 1 min.
Their opinion contrasts with the muffled language of diplomats. US intelligence believes Russia is stepping up preparations for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to Washington, it already has 70% of the device necessary for such an operation. Moscow has already massed 110,000 soldiers on Ukraine’s borders and could have sufficient capabilities to launch an offensive in two weeks, these officials said on Sunday February 6, after briefing elected officials in the US Congress and European partners in recent days. the United States.
They said that US intelligence had not established whether Russian President Vladimir Putin had made the decision to go on the offensive or not, but that he wanted to be prepared to implement all possible options, from the partial invasion of the separatist enclave of Donbass to the total invasion.
As Russia’s military posture continues to build around Ukraine, the Kremlin master should have sufficient forces for a full-scale invasion of 150,000 troops in mid-February, intelligence services have warned. . If the Russian president chooses the most drastic option, he could surround Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, and overthrow President Volodymyr Zelensky in 48 hours, according to these officials.
They warned that the conflict would have a considerable human cost with the risk of causing the death of 25,000 to 50,000 civilians, 5,000 to 25,000 Ukrainian soldiers and 3,000 to 10,000 Russian soldiers. It could also cause an influx of 1 to 5 million refugees, mainly to Poland.