Page 2 - aruba-today-20220214

A2 UP FRONT
Monday 14 February 2022

U.S.: Over 130,000 Russian troops now staged outside Ukraine

Continued from Front east and south in what the Zelenskyy has repeated-
Kremlin insists are military ly played down the U.S.
American intelligence offi- exercises. warnings, questioning the
cials believe targeting the A U.S. official updated the increasingly strident state-
military exercise is just one Biden administration’s es- ments from U.S. officials
of multiple options that Rus- timate for how many Rus- in recent days that Russia
sia has weighed as a possi- sian forces are now staged could be planning to in-
bility for a false-flag opera- near Ukraine’s borders to vade as soon as midweek.
tion. The White House has more than 130,000, up from “We understand all the
underscored that they do the more than 100,000 the risks, we understand that
not know with certainty if U.S. has cited publicly in there are risks,” he said in
President Vladimir Putin has previous weeks. a broadcast Saturday. “If
made a final determination The official spoke on condi- you, or anyone else, has
to launch an invasion. tion of anonymity to discuss additional information re-
Moscow’s forces are mass- the administration’s con- garding a 100% Russian in-
ing on Ukraine’s north, clusions. vasion starting on the 16th,

A view of Ukraine's national flag waves above the capital with
the Motherland Monument on the right, in Kyiv Sunday, Feb. 13,
2022.
Associated Press
please forward that infor- at all. One woman, Alona
mation to us.” Buznitskaya, speaking on a
But while Zelenskyy has central street of the capital
urged against panic that bearing a few signs declar-
he fears could undermine ing, “I love Ukraine,” said
Ukraine’s economy, he she was calm.
and his civilian and military “You should always be
leaders also are preparing ready for everything, and
defenses, soliciting and re- then you will have nothing
ceiving a flow of arms from to be afraid of,” she said.
the U.S. and other NATO The U.S. largely has not
members. made public the evidence
A military cargo aircraft it says is underlying its most
carrying U.S.-made Stinger specific warnings on pos-
anti-aircraft missiles and sible Russian planning or
ammunition from NATO timing.
member Lithuania land- “We’re not going to give
ed Sunday, bolstering the Russia the opportunity to
country’s defenses against conduct a surprise here,
any attack by air. to spring something on
Zelenskyy wore military Ukraine or the world,” Jake
olive drab at a drill with Sullivan, the U.S. national
tanks and helicopters near security adviser, told CNN
Ukraine’s border with Rus- on Sunday, about the U.S.
sian-annexed Crimea this warnings.
weekend. In the nearby “We are going to make
city of Kalanchak, some ex- sure that we are laying out
pressed disbelief that Putin for the world what we see
would really send his troops as transparently and plain-
rolling into the country. ly as we possibly can,” he
“I don’t believe Russia will said.
attack us,” said resident The Russians have de-
Boris Cherepenko. “I have ployed missile, air, naval
friends in Sakhalin, in Kras- and special operations
nodar,” he said, naming forces, as well as supplies
Russian regions. “I don’t to sustain an invasion. This
believe it.” week, Russia moved six am-
In Kyiv, others expressed un- phibious assault ships into
certainty whether any Rus- the Black Sea, augmenting
sian move would be eco- its capability to land on the
nomic, military, or happen coast.q