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New intel suggests Russia prepared to invade Ukraine before China’s Olympics end

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By Natasha Bertrand, Katie Bo Lillis, Kylie Atwood and Jim Sciutto 

The US and its allies have new intelligence that suggests Russia could launch an attack on Ukraine even before the end of the Olympics, multiple sources familiar with the matter tell CNN. 

Previous assessments had suggested that Russia was unlikely to move into Ukraine until after the Olympics end on Feb. 20, US officials had told CNN in the past. The revelation of the new intelligence comes as administration officials have dramatically ramped up the urgency of their public warnings related to Ukraine in the past 24 hours.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that a Russian invasion of Ukraine “could begin at any time,” including during the Beijing Winter Olympics, and the United States continues “to see very troubling signs of Russian escalation, including new forces arriving at the Ukrainian border.”

Kyiv is among the targets identified in the Russian planning, three sources familiar with the new intelligence tell CNN. 

There are ongoing conversations within the administration about declassifying some of that new intelligence, which two US officials said may come later on Friday.

President Biden on Friday morning was set to hold a call with NATO and European allies to discuss the latest intelligence, a White House official told CNN. A European defense official said the North Atlantic Council will be discussing the situation and the new intelligence in a meeting later Friday.  

Biden also joined a meeting of his top national security advisers Thursday evening in the White House Situation Room to discuss the crisis, a person familiar with the meeting said.

When asked about new intelligence, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian defense minister said that such warnings have been heard already.

“Again? These statements have already been heard,” Iryna Zolotar, press secretary for Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov, told CNN.

CNN

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4 responses to “New intel suggests Russia prepared to invade Ukraine before China’s Olympics end”

  1. vs Avatar
    vs

    Ha ha, what is it “russia”? Moscowia? Failostine 2

  2. vs Avatar
    vs

    Who does not remember, the hysteria that Russia is going to attack Ukraine has been going on for a long time, I have an opinion on this matter and, it seems to me, I formulated it quite exhaustively a year ago: https://lleo.me/dnevnik/2021/04/17

    During this year, nothing has changed, except for the potential of Ukraine. Let me remind you that the army of Ukraine, including weapons, as well as the population, is about 4 times smaller than that of Russia. Only 4, and not 40 times, as some people think for some reason. At the same time, Ukraine loses heavily in missiles and aviation, but it is far ahead in foreign anti-tank grenade launchers and drones. Russia also loses a lot in terms of the motivation of its personnel: the Russian military is offered to die in a foreign land for who knows what, and the Ukrainians are invited to defend their native huts. Therefore, war is simply impossible now – Ukraine is pumped up with the most modern weapons and is well prepared for war. That is, in the event of a war, Russia really has 3 chances to win for 1 chance to stupidly lose, and this is serious, it’s not for us to bomb rebel tents in Syria.

    Separately, it must be said about Bayraktar-type drones, which, firstly, were brought in large numbers, and secondly, they launched a manufacturing plant there. No matter what the advertising brochures of the Ministry of Defense draw, Russia does not have such weapons. A country that cannot build a national car and smartphone will not be the first in the world in terms of weapon manufacturability. In addition, the General Staff traditionally thinks of each new war in the image and likeness of the previous one. As in 1941 they tried to launch cavalry against tanks, today they plan to launch tanks against drones.

    But the war of drones is a completely different war. The drone is not afraid of anything. The drone does not leave widows and orphans on earth. The drone is reusable – it flies at altitudes of about 5 km, conducts reconnaissance from where and perfectly hits ground targets with an accuracy of 1 meter with bombs and missiles, which it has enough. And also, they say, it is capable of hitting air targets, which is already quite nice.

    But the main thing is that it is very expensive to fight with a drone. Yes, Bayraktar is not that hard to shoot down. But the cost of each attempt to shoot down a robot gliding at a height of 5 km is approximately the same as its cost. Bayraktar, together with numerous bombs, costs $ 10 million, which is only 4 times higher than the cost of launching a missile defense system – an interceptor missile: after all, this is not a bullet or a flying mine, but a fucking rocket launcher with fuel and electronics, starting from a special machine, whose pictures are all seen at the parade. And this expensive disposable rocket, which has proven itself so well in accidentally shooting down passenger planes, is not yet a fact that it will hit a drone. But he will give out his location, and a planning bomb from a neighboring drone will fly there with an accuracy of up to a meter, removing the remaining 3 shells and a trained military crew. It is much easier to bomb a ground target from above than to get sky-high from below. And the pilots of the downed drone will hand over their duty and go to their families for dinner.

    In other words, Ukraine and its population can now only be bombed from afar with intercontinental missiles, but it will no longer be possible to enter its territory with troops and tanks – there is a possibility that they will be smeared on the ground, there are means.

    And of course Putin, even if he suddenly wanted war, understands all this.

    Therefore, I personally believe that an open attack by Russia on Ukraine in today’s conditions is simply not conceivable – neither strategically nor technically. But then the question arises: by whom and why is this hysteria whipped up in the foreign press? I have three versions

    1. vs Avatar
      vs

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VykwZQw4ng

      1. vs Avatar
        vs

        1. The South Park Method

        As a strategist, thinker and politician, Putin has shown himself over the years to be a complete mediocrity: he knows how to make sharp and unexpected statements, but he is completely unable to achieve political goals. No matter what he did, the effect in the end always turned out to be unprofitable for the country. So it happened this time, when, when asked to explain the meaning of the concentration of troops, Putin suddenly began to dictate geopolitical ultimatums to NATO. What he wildly set up: taking advantage of his aggressive tone, NATO deliberately unleashed a hysteria on the topic “he is going to attack”, and this allowed him to do (and explain to his voters and parliaments) what he had long wanted, but there was absolutely no reason: to pump Ukraine with modern weapons and strengthen NATO forces in Eastern Europe. Putin’s foolish rhetoric about pulling back NATO has backfired: a legal reason for NATO to move forward, and now everyone is rushing to make more long-term moves while public outcry is still buzzing. Putin poked himself into an ill-conceived game and got a child’s mate in three moves.

        2. Board game “Persuade Putin”

        Unlike Russia and other totalitarian fragments of the USSR, American and European politicians are extremely dependent on their voters and are trying by all means to win their sympathy. Recently, they have discovered a new game that can give politicians big winning chips with minimal effort. Game “Persuade Putin not to fight.” Step one: it is declared that Putin is about to start a war. Since his image abroad has long been below the plinth, and the “unpredictability” of his own efforts has long become a personal brand, the news looks organic. And this makes it possible for European politicians to constantly express concern, call Putin and fly to him every day for negotiations. And every new day without a war is perceived as a personal victory for a European politician who “temporarily managed to dissuade”. Putin is stupidly used as a scarecrow – and he is glad, flattered by the attention and proud of his world significance. And the cunning negotiator in the role of the savior of the world receives bonuses and ratings in his country. It is not surprising that a huge crowd of negotiators from different countries quickly lined up for Putin to improve their image for free before the elections.

        3. Putin and bugs

        Putin probably guesses that there is a bug in his residence (or a mole in the environment). And in order to understand exactly where, he walks through different rooms and whispers different things. In the bathroom: “Comrade Shoigu, I order you to attack Kiev tomorrow!” In the gazebo: “I want to place a nuclear test site in the Arctic!” In the bedroom: “firmly decided to propose to Queen Elizabeth the hand and heart!” And he looks where the drain will come from. Apparently, the bug is installed in the toilet

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