Russia ready for Ukraine incursion

Senior American officials claim that Russian troops are ready to invade Ukraine without warning because Moscow has deployed its military forces near the border.

The unnamed officials briefed on the latest US intelligence said however they are unsure about Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

Russia announced that it has deployed forces in its soil in order to conduct military exercises.

“It’s really a question of leadership intentions. Who does Putin tell, if anyone, what his plans are?” a senior Obama administration official said.

“He’s obviously putting things in place in case he wants to go in. The question is whether a political decision has been made to do so,” the official added.

American officials say they are monitoring the Russian force movements.

“We’re actively monitoring the situation in eastern Ukraine, including the massing of Russian troops and materiel at the border,” spokesman for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence Shawn Turner said.

“Our immediate focus is on providing policy makers with regular intelligence updates and forward-looking analysis of the situation in order to help inform decisions,” he said.

Washington believes Moscow has nearly 50,000 troops in position for possible operations.

Meanwhile, Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John Kirby said that Russia has continued to send more troops to its border with Ukraine.

He also noted that his country has “seen no specific indications that exercises are taking place.”

Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe, gave a classified briefing Thursday to members of the House Armed Services Committee.

“We’re all concerned about what Russia is doing on the border of Ukraine,” he said. “The size of the forces have a message that are not congruous with respecting the borders.”

On Thursday, the US Senate approved a bill to help Ukraine and impose sanctions against Russia.

Sen. Bob Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said the bill would provide $1 billion in loan guarantees to help stabilize Ukraine’s economy.

The Senate bill also would freeze assets and revoke visas of Russian officials.