The UK Ministry of Defense has published a map of directions for Russia's “invasion” of Ukraine
Image: @DefenceHQ
The British Ministry of Defense has published a diagram of the impending “invasion” of Russia into Ukraine. An image of a map appeared on the official Twitter account of the British department with alleged directions of movement of the Russian military.
Under the scheme called “Possible Axis of Invasion by President Putin”, Russian ground forces will attack Kiev and the Dnieper: from the Crimea – along the Azov coast – and from the territory of Belarus. The second phase of the attack provides for movement from the Dnieper to Vinnitsa, as well as from the Crimea towards Odessa. “Russia maintains a significant military presence (near Ukraine, — approx. Lenta.ru), with the help of which it is possible to carry out a surprise invasion,” the defense department wrote in a commentary.
date of the “invasion”
The date of the “invasion” was seriously discussed in the West in the first half of the month. So, on February 12, US President Joe Biden announced that Russia plans to launch an attack on Ukraine on February 16. Later, the British newspaper The Sun in its material called the exact time: a full-scale operation, according to the publication, was to begin at 4:00 Moscow time (3:00 Kiev time). Several officials in Washington confirmed the president's statement. It was reported that the immediate offensive would be preceded by a “flurry of missile strikes and cyber attacks.”
A day earlier, February 11, the US agency Bloomberg named February 15 as the date for Russia's “invasion” of Ukraine. According to anonymous sources “familiar with the issue”, the actions of the Russian Federation could include a provocation in the Donbass or an attack on Kiev. “Any action can start as early as next Tuesday,” the news agency wrote. At the same time, his sources did not provide any evidence to support his assertion.
Moscow's response
In Moscow, the statements of Western politicians and the media were called hysteria. In particular, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that provocations, misinformation and threats are Washington's favorite method to solve its own problems. “The skating rink of the American military-political machine is ready to go through people's lives again. The whole world is watching how militarism and imperial ambitions denounce themselves,” the diplomat concluded.
Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the European Union (EU) Vladimir Chizhov also denied reports of a possible invasion.
I can assure you that there will be no attack on this environment. No escalation is foreseen next week, or next week, or next month. Wars in Europe rarely start on a Wednesday
Vladimir ChizhovPresident of Russia to the EU
Chizhov noted the lack of evidence for these judgments. “When you make accusations, especially very serious accusations against Russia, you also have to provide evidence. Otherwise, they are slander,” he said.
Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov advised Ukrainians to set alarms after British media reports about the exact time of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. “They better set alarms for this time and see for themselves,” he said. The Kremlin spokesman also spoke about the president's reaction to such information. According to him, Putin sometimes jokes about this – he asks to know if the exact time in hours when the war will begin is published anywhere. He added that such messages already represent a “manic informational frenzy” that cannot be treated with understanding.
When the attack did not happen, the United States did not believe in the withdrawal of Russian troops from the border with Ukraine. The American publication Politico, citing analysts, has set a new date for the “invasion” – February 20. Michael Kofman, an expert on the Russian armed forces, pointed out that the actions of the Russian troops after the end of the joint exercises with Belarus will help to understand the true intentions of President Putin.
