Russian troops take part in an amphibious landing exercise in Crimea last month. Photo: Sergei Malgavko/TASS via Getty Images
The U.S. has shared intelligence with European allies indicating that Russia is planning for a potential large-scale invasion of Ukraine early next year, Bloomberg reports.
Why it matters: The attack would be far larger and more devastating than the 2014 conflict in eastern Ukraine, where 14,000 people have been killed in a rebellion waged by Russian-backed separatists.
Putin's intentions still aren't clear, but the intelligence lays out a scenario in which around 100,000 troops cross into Ukraine from multiple locations, backed up by air support.
- Two sources told Bloomberg that Russia has "called up tens of thousands of reservists on a scale unprecedented in post-Soviet times." Troops and artillery are massing on the Ukraine border.
- Putin, whose annexation of Crimea in 2014 led to sanctions and international condemnation, views Ukraine as unfinished business.