The Russian Federation has concentrated more than 92 thousand military personnel on the border with Ukraine, and is preparing to attack by the end of January or the beginning of February. The head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, Kirill Budanov, said this in an interview with the publication Military Times.
The head of the GUR noted that the attack will probably include airstrikes, artillery and armored attacks with subsequent amphibious assaults in the east, amphibious assaults in Odessa и Mariupol, and a smaller invasion through Belarus.
According to Budanov, the large-scale Russian military exercises "Zapad-2021" at the beginning of this year showed that Moscow can simultaneously transfer more than 3500 airborne and special operations troops.
The Kremlin is planning an attack that will be much larger than any Russian military action since 2014.
Kyiv is now calculating different scenarios for how a potential Russian attack could develop, given that the country is surrounded by numerous Russian tactical groups.
On Friday, the new Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Oleksiy Reznikov, said that it is not yet known whether Vladimir Putin has made the final decision on the offensive. At the same time, Budanov emphasized that the Russian Federation is increasing the number of troops and weapons in occupied Crimea and is moving the Iskandar short-range ballistic missile systems and other weapons to the border.
The head of the GUR also noted that the harsh weather conditions in January-February will not deter the Russians from the attack. "This is not a problem for us and the Russians," Budanov said.
At the same time, Budanov warned that any such attack would follow only after a series of psychological operations, allegedly already being carried out by Moscow. This is the organization of protests against covid-vaccination, inciting riots related to the economy and energy supply. In addition, Budanov said that Russia is trying to raise anti-government sentiment in Ukraine with the help of the so-called "Wagnergate".
