Russian commanders have received orders to proceed with an attack on Ukraine, according to reports from U.S. intelligence officials.
David Martin, a CBS News national security correspondent, said that Russia was moving forward with a military attack on Ukraine during a segment Sunday morning on Face the Nation. When asked by host Margaret Brennan how President Joe Biden was “certain” that Vladimir Putin had decided to invade the neighboring country, Martin said that they were aware the troops had received the order to do so.
“Not only are they moving up closer and closer to the border into these attack positions, but the commanders on the ground are making specific plans for how they would maneuver in their sector of the battlefield,” Martin said.
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“They are doing everything that American commanders would do once they got the order to proceed,” Martin said.
Biden predicted on Friday that Putin had made up his mind to take military action against Ukraine, stating that his administration had “reason to believe the Russian forces are planning to attack Ukraine in the coming week — the coming days.”
“We believe that they will target Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv,” said Biden.
NEWS: The U.S. has intelligence that Russian troops have received orders to proceed with an invasion of Ukraine. “The commanders on the ground are making specific plans for how they would maneuver in their sector of the battlefield,” CBS David Martin reports on @FacetheNation. pic.twitter.com/uKsfdWRQjV
— Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) February 20, 2022
An unnamed U.S. official said that at this point, Russia currently that 75% of its armed forces positioned toward Ukraine.
Around 120 out of Russia’s 160 Battalion Tactical Groups are stationed about 60 kilometers, or 37 miles, away from the Ukrainian border, according to the official.
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It has been predicted for about a month that Russia might be preparing to stage an invasion of Ukraine. On Feb. 14, Biden’s deputy principal press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, warned of the possibility that Russia could invade any time, as it had not yet moved around 100,000 troops away from the border.
