Russia on Saturday sent a pair of long-range nuclear-capable bombers on patrol over its ally Belarus amid spiraling tensions over Ukraine. The Russian Defense Ministry said the two Tu-22M3 bombers practiced interacting with the Belarusian air force.
On Saturday, The New York Times and The Washington Post said officials were warning that a full Russian invasion could lead to the quick capture of Kyiv and potentially result in as many as 50,000 casualties. A U.S. official confirmed that estimate to The Associated Press. But it’s not clear how U.S. agencies determined those numbers, and any predictions about how an invasion would proceed and the human cost it would inflict are inherently uncertain given the vagaries of war.
With growing nervousness in Eastern Europe over Russia’s buildup, much attention is focused on its placement of thousands of troops in Belarus, which shares a border not only with Ukraine but also with three NATO nations — Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. The Biden administration may soon shift some more troops within Europe to allied nations on NATO’s eastern flank, a U.S. official said Saturday without specifying which nations.
The officials reiterated what other Biden administration officials have been saying for weeks — that they don’t believe Putin has made a final decision to invade Ukraine. But it appears possible that the Russian leader set his intentions and is waiting until the last moment to give the go-ahead for an invasion.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Officials: Russia at 70 percent of Ukraine military buildupWASHINGTON (AP) — Russia has assembled at least 70 percent of the military firepower it likely intends to have in place by mid-month to give President Vladimir Putin the option of launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, U.S.
Read more »
Officials: Russia at 70 Percent of Ukraine Military BuildupU.S. officials say Russia has assembled at least 70 percent of the military firepower it likely intends to have in place by mid-month to give President Vladimir Putin the option of launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Read more »
Russia assembles 70% of military firepower it intends to have for potential Ukraine invasionRussia has assembled 70% of the military firepower it intends to have to give President Vladimir Putin the option of launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, officials say.
Read more »
Russia assembles 70% of military firepower it intends to have for potential Ukraine invasionRussia has assembled 70% of the military firepower it intends to have to give President Vladimir Putin the option of launching a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, officials say.
Read more »
Russia has amassed 70% of forces needed to invade Ukraine: US officialsRussia has mustered about 70 percent of the military power it will likely need to launch an attack on neighboring Ukraine, US officials said.
Read more »