WASHINGTON, Feb 6, 2022 (BSSAFP) - United States intelligence assessments say
Russia is stepping up preparations for a large-scale invasion of Ukraine and
has now put in place 70 percent of the forces it would need for such an
attack, US officials said.

  Russia has assembled 110,000 troops along its border with Ukraine but US
intelligence had not determined if President Vladimir Putin has actually
decided to invade, according to officials who in recent days held briefings
with members of Congress and European allies.

  The officials warned lawmakers that the assembled Russian force on the
frontier with Ukraine is growing at a rate that would give Putin the force he
needs for a full-scale invasion -- some 150,000 soldiers -- by mid-February.

  Instead, the officials said Putin wants to have all possible options at his
disposal: from a limited invasion of the pro-Russian Donbas region of Ukraine
to a full-scale, all-out invasion.

  Russia denies that it is planning to invade Ukraine.

  If Russia does opt for a full-scale attack, the invading force could take
the capital Kyiv and topple President Volodymyr Zelensky in a matter of 48
hours, the officials said.

  Such an attack would leave 25,000 to 50,000 civilians dead, along with
5,000 to 25,000 Ukrainian soldiers and 3,000 to 10,000 Russian ones. It could
also trigger a refugee flood of one to five million people, mainly into
Poland, the officials said.

  A first contingent of US soldiers arrived Saturday in Poland, where
President Joe Biden has decided to send American forces to protect NATO
member states from what he calls any possible aggression, as diplomats work
furiously to try to persuade Russia to pull its troops back from the border
with Ukraine.