U.S. intelligence reveals Russian President Vladimir Putin has already given his troops orders to proceed with an invasion into Ukraine, according to a new Sunday report.
‘The intelligence says that Russian troops have actually received orders now to proceed with the invasion,’ CBS News’ David Martin told Face the Nation host Margaret Brennan. ‘So not only are they moving up closer and closer to the border and to these attack positions, but the commanders on the ground are making specific plans for how they would maneuver in their sector of the battlefield,’ he added.
‘They’re doing everything that American commanders would do once they got the order to proceed.’ Martin’s revelation comes after President Joe Biden said Friday that he is very certain that Putin has already made up his mind that he will attack Ukraine based on D.C’s ‘significant intelligence capability.’ Meanwhile, America’s top foreign affairs officials warned Sunday that Putin’s moves show that Russia is ‘dead serious’ about invading Ukraine, but insist there likely won’t be a threat to U.S. troops.
‘He’s assembled the kinds of things that you would need to conduct a successful invasion,’ Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told ABC’s Martha Raddatz of Putin in an interview tapped in Ukraine. Evidence suggests Russia is planning “the biggest war in Europe since 1945”, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said.
He told the BBC’s Sophie Raworth in an interview: “All the signs are that the plan has already in some senses begun.” Intelligence suggests Russia intends to launch an invasion that will encircle Ukrainian capital Kyiv, Mr. Johnson said. “People need to understand the sheer cost in human life that could entail,” he said.
The prime minister was speaking from Munich, where world leaders are meeting for an annual security conference. The latest estimates by the US government suggest that between 169,000 and 190,000 Russian troops are stationed along Ukraine’s border, both in Russia and neighboring Belarus – but this figure also includes rebels in eastern Ukraine.
Meanwhile, NATO has raised the readiness level of tens and thousands of troops amid soaring tensions with Russia, widely believed to be preparing to attack Ukraine. NRF rapid reaction forces are to be able to be deployed within just 7 days, rather than 30, dpa learned from sources close to the alliance. For other units, a “notice-to-move” period of 30 days applies, rather than 45 days, effective immediately.
The step seeks to deter Moscow from an attack, and comes as intense diplomatic efforts continue to prevent war from breaking out. Western leaders adopted strategies from warnings to dialogue with Moscow on Friday, as tens of thousands of troops remained stationed along Ukraine’s borders.
A huge convoy of Russian armored tanks painted with the letter ‘Z’ are currently moving towards the Ukrainian border. The tanks have been sprayed with a ‘Z’ marking. This has led to suggestions they are being allocated roles in an imminent invasion. Independent Russian Telegram channel Hunter’s Notes said:
“All equipment marked with ‘Z’ was seen near Kursk and in the Shebekino region of Belgorod’ on the border with Ukraine.” As news leaks out of the fractious border region, an ex-pat from the UK has said the small community of Britons in the country will “fight like devils” with Ukraine in event of a Russian incursion.
