US officials have monitored a number of indications that show Putin’s intention to carry out the invasion in the coming weeks, although the scale and scope are not clear.
However, they emphasized that a diplomatic solution appears to be still possible.
Among those indicators, the date of training of the Russian strategic nuclear forces, which usually takes place in the fall, to mid-February until early March.
Officials did not provide evidence of the possible use of nuclear weapons in a possible war, but the exercises are believed to include the test-fire of long-range missiles, in a message of deterrence to the West and prevent it from interfering in Ukraine.
They said that the Russian army might take over Ukraine relatively quickly, but that it would face great difficulty the day after the occupation, as it would likely encounter resistance.
According to US officials, Putin still needs to mobilize larger forces to carry out the invasion, as the forces located on the border are More than 100,000 soldiers are not enough in this regard.
On the other hand, former Ukrainian Defense Minister Andrei Zagorodnyuk said that Russia had amassed enough forces on the border, which would enable it to control the capital, Kiev, or any other city in Ukraine.
Zagorodniuk told the British newspaper, “The Guardian,” that the situation “looks very dire.”
He explained that Russia has forces capable of capturing any city in Ukraine, but we do not yet see the 200,000 soldiers needed to carry out a large-scale invasion.
The Ukraine crisis began in late 2021, when Russia massed huge forces on the borders of its western neighbor, and said that this buildup did not threaten anyone.
But Ukraine fears that this is a prelude to a full-scale invasion.
