Since October, the Kremlin has been amassing troops and materiel on the border with Ukraine under the pretext of exercises. This is the second time that Moscow has built up its military strength in the region this year. In April, during the first months of the Biden administration, Russian forces against amassed on the border, and many feared that they would strike.

According to the Washington Post, the U.S. intelligence community estimates that there are close to 70,000 Russian troops divided into 100 tactical task forces in the border region. Currently, approximately 50 of these units have been deployed into four locations opposite Ukraine. However, U.S. officials believe that that number might rise to potentially 175,000 troops soon.

View Comments (0)

“The Russian plans call for a military offensive against Ukraine as soon as early 2022 with a scale of forces twice what we saw this past spring during Russia’s snap exercise near Ukraine’s borders. The plans involve extensive movement of 100 battalion tactical groups with an estimated 175,000 personnel, along with armor, artillery and equipment,” a U.S. administration official said, according to the Washington Post. . . .

In a speech to Russian diplomats in November, President Vladimir Putin has said about the tensions that, “Our recent warnings [in Ukraine] have been noticed and had an effect. A certain tension has appeared there. We need for this condition to remain as long as possible, so nobody gets it into their head to cause a conflict we don’t need on our western borders.

President Biden is scheduled to talk with President Putin next week.

(Excerpt from 19fortyfive.com. Photo Credit: Getty.)

What are your prayers for President Biden as he prepares to talk with Putin?