Russian Military Buildup Near Ukraine Features Powerful Weapons; War Begins Wednesday?

A significant show of Russian military force has been spotted close to the Ukraine border. Presence of high-powered military movements that has been authenticated with convoys building up in Russia’s western Belgorod region and in the village of Sereteno, just 15 miles off the border of Ukraine have been observed.

According to CNN, a flotilla of submarines and amphibious landing ships have also been lining up the shores of the Black Sea, armed with short-range ballistic missiles, as well as howitzers and tanks skirting the northeastern edges of Ukraine. Russian Armed forces meanwhile are apace as they continue to move into strategic areas at night with tanks and artillery that only speak of how things could easily escalate in just a few hours.

Observers posting photos on social media have analysts dissecting the possible firepower Russia can unleash on Ukraine saying there could be likely more that are not seen from satellite imagery alone. In the last couple of days, the area of Voronezh has been piling up with a large fleet of tanks and armed infantry fighting vehicles, which analysts say may be from Russia’s 1st Guards Tank Army.

Helicopters have been abuzz near the Ukrainian border, which render air support and protection for ground troops in case an offensive has been ordered. Trains have been utilized to ferry other infantry fighting vehicles, tanks, and self-propelled artillery.

Meanwhile, Russian and Belarussian troops are in the process of joint military exercises near the Polish border. A good volume of Russian forces are also simultaneously on the move and are taking strategic positions close to where the borders of Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus meet.

Observers and analysts say the Russian military build-up is unlike the previous war scare as compared to the one in the spring of 2021. Rob Lee, from the Department of War Studies at King’s College, London said, “The amount of Russian aerial, ground, and naval military power near Ukraine now is quantifiably far greater.”

As war looms over Russia and Ukraine, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson shared a phone call with US President Joe Biden to put matters on the table after a 48-hour warning of invasion was announced. The leaders have agreed they would try to push for a diplomatic solution to the conflict to avoid war in the eastern regions of Europe. The call lasted for about 40 minutes where both allied leaders agreed that any further incursion into Ukraine will result in a protracted crisis for Russia.

“They agreed that western allies must remain united in the face of Russian threats, including imposing a significant package of sanctions should Russian aggression escalate. They also reiterated the need for European countries to reduce their dependence on Russian gas, a move which, more than any other, would strike at the heart of Russia's strategic interests,” a Downing Street spokesperson revealed.

Currently, the State Department has ordered the destruction of all networking equipment as well as computer workstations in the US Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine. This is to ensure security in case the embassy falls into the hands of the Russian military.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Feb. 16 invasion warning from the US will be marked as Unity Day in Ukraine whereby the head of state has signed this into a decree. Zelensky said the decree orders all houses and official buildings in all settlements to fly the national flag and sing the national anthem of Ukraine at 10 in the morning of the stated day of the invasion.