The Russian Federation is moving troops to the Crimean peninsula as part of a large-scale military buildup on the border with Ukraine, Bloomberg has said. This was reported by Bloomberg news agency, citing US intelligence.
Defense intelligence sources said that troops and equipment have been arriving in Crimea since 15 November. The move of troops to Crimea followed the shipment of battle tanks and other heavy weapons to Russia's Voronezh Region.
According to intelligence information, the troops sent to Crimea include the 34th Motorized Rifle Brigade and the 42nd Guards Motorized Rifle Division, whose T-72B3 tanks were spotted on video on the train heading to Crimea.
In turn, the Kremlin said that Russian Federation would attack Ukraine if it joined NATO. This was said by the Kremlin adviser and chairman of the Russian Foreign Affairs Council Fyodor Lukyanov, according to UNIAN.
The Telegraf piece notes that this is an understandable explanation as to why Russia is engaged in increasing its military presence on the borders with Ukraine.
At the same time, the Kremlin adviser warned of a "new conflict" that will arise if NATO expands to the east. "Russia will have to change the system and draw new red lines," Lukyanov said.
Given the situation, the U.S. is already considering sending additional weapons to Ukraine because of growing fears of a possible Russian invasion.
Earlier, U.S. intelligence revealed Russia's plans for a possible invasion of Ukraine. The U.S. provided European partners with relevant data. According to U.S. intelligence, about half of the tactical groups have already taken up their positions, and any invasion would be supported by aircraft. According to U.S. intelligence officials, Moscow has also called in tens of thousands of reservists on a scale unprecedented for post-Soviet times.
Ukrainian intelligence also revealed that Russia has concentrated more than 90,000 troops near Ukraine's borders and is preparing to attack by late January or early February 2022.
