AP: According to US intelligence, Russia may launch an offensive against Ukraine in early 2022 
US intelligence services believe Russia is planning invasion of Ukraine in early 2022. The Associated Press writes about this with reference to a source in the administration of US President Joe Biden.
According to the interlocutor of the American edition, Moscow intends to deploy 175,000 troops on the Ukrainian border, with half of them already in the corresponding positions. He also said that Russia is going to send about 100 “battalion tactical groups” to border areas along with armored vehicles, artillery and the necessary equipment.
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The Washington Post also reported, citing unnamed US officials and intelligence documents, that Russia was planning an invasion of Ukraine, and mapped the offensive on multiple fronts. As a spokesman for the US administration clarified, speaking on condition of anonymity, the scale of the forces “is twice that which we saw last spring during Russia's operational exercises near the borders of Ukraine.” It is also allegedly planned to use armored vehicles and artillery.
The Pentagon confirmed that the administration of US President Joe Biden is very serious about the Kremlin's signals of its intention to invade Ukraine and does not consider them a bluff. A senior ministry official noted that Russia has deployed about 100,000 troops on the border with Ukraine.
“Attack” plan
German newspaper Bild, based on a map published by The Washington Post and sources in NATO and security services, revealed details of the alleged Russian attack to Ukraine, which, according to the newspaper, may occur in late January – early February. At the first stage, it is planned to enter from the south of Ukraine in order, according to informed sources, to ensure supplies to Crimea, as well as to cut off Ukraine from the sea.
In parallel with this, Moscow intends to transfer Russian tank units to the Luhansk and Kharkov regions and advance to the large cities of Dnieper and Poltava in the north-east of the country. It is clarified that, first of all, in cities, electricity, gas and food supplies will be cut off.
According to NATO strategists, at the third stage, Russian troops will attack Kiev from the north. They will move to the Korosten-Uman line to cut off supplies from the western regions of Ukraine. At this stage, Kiev is expected to surrender, sources say.
Information campaign
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, commenting on the data on the allegedly impending Russian invasion of Ukraine, said that Moscow is recording an information campaign emanating from the West, the purpose of which is to present it as a threat to the settlement process in Ukraine.
According to the presidential press secretary, a targeted information campaign is underway, for which news agencies and some American newspapers are used. It cannot be ruled out that this is camouflage to cover up aggressive intentions, Peskov added.
He said that “Kiev is building up its forces”, in addition, they help him to do this by supplying a significant amount of weapons, including modern high-tech. The Kremlin is watching this with great concern, the presidential press secretary concluded.
Russian armed forces on Russian territory are the legal right of a sovereign state
Maria ZakharovaOfficial Representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry
The Russian Foreign Ministry also reacted to Western publications about a significant accumulation of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine. The official representative of the department, Maria Zakharova, advised the American press to shift attention to the aggressive actions of not Russia, but the United States. The diplomat considered unfounded the information of the Americans about the allegedly forecasted for 2022 and ongoing by Moscow preparations for the invasion of Ukraine.