Russian units near Ukraine moved into “attack positions,” U.S. official says

Russia has moved some extensive-selection artillery and rocket launchers into firing position, threatening Ukraine, in accordance to a U.S. formal.

Some Russian models have left their assembly locations — the bumper-to-bumper formations noticed in satellite images — and are beginning to go into “assault positions,” according to the formal. This motion marks a adjust since Sunday, when some of the units had still left the assembly areas but had not however taken what could be seen as attack positions.

The U.S. thinks Russia will assault Ukraine by the conclude of the week, although it’s not still particular what variety it will take, the formal said. 

Once the Russian attack begins, U.S. knowledge of what is happening will considerably decrease. Us residents will have no troops on the ground and no reconnaissance planes in excess of the air, and Russian cyber attacks and electronic warfare will blot out communications.  

U.S. officers say Russia now has 80% of the forces it will need to have to start a full-scale invasion, and the relaxation are en route. More than 100,000 Russian troops are amassed along Ukraine’s borders — to the east, in Russia, and the north, in Belarus.   

Nationwide stability adviser Jake Sullivan warned Sunday morning on “Confront the Nation” that Russian President Vladimir Putin could give the orders for an invasion “essentially at any time.”

“We have viewed around the study course of the past 10 times a remarkable acceleration in the establish-up of Russian forces and the disposition of all those forces in this kind of a way that they could launch a army action fundamentally at any time,” Sullivan mentioned. “They could do so this coming 7 days, but of program, it even now awaits the go-order” from Putin.  

Sullivan acknowledged that there is a distinctive likelihood that Russia may start a wrong-flag attack, perhaps in the Donbas region of Ukraine, in purchase to justify an invasion, and he explained that the U.S. is “seeing incredibly diligently.” In that state of affairs, Russian intelligence services may “perform some variety of assault on Russian proxy forces in jap Ukraine or on Russian citizens, and then blame it on the Ukrainians,” Sullivan claimed Sunday.

Sullivan is briefing congressional leaders on the most up-to-date developments on Ukraine Monday.

On Saturday, President Biden warned Russian President Vladimir Putin that the U.S. will “respond decisively and impose swift and intense charges,” should really Russia invade Ukraine. 

— This is a establishing story.