Analyst Massikot told FT that Russia will launch air strikes when it “invades” Ukraine
Photo: Firas Makdesi / Reuters
The Financial Times (FT), citing analysts, described two scenarios of a possible Russian “invasion” of Ukraine.
According to the researcher of the American non-profit organization RAND Dara Massikot, the first variant of the “invasion” is targeted airstrikes. According to the expert, the Russian Federation can strike from the air on the military and infrastructure facilities of Ukraine. In this case, cruise and ballistic missiles may be involved, which “will be difficult for Ukrainian air defense systems to cope with.”
Also Massikot said that Russia can use heavy artillery and flamethrowers. She stressed that the consequences of such an attack would be “devastating” for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The second scenario involves a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This option is less likely, analysts say, as Russia will need more military personnel to carry it out, many of whom could die as a result.
According to Rob Lee of the Institute for Foreign Policy Research in Philadelphia, the scale of the proposed attack will depend on how soon Ukraine admits defeat.
On December 27, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine also doubted the reality of the threat of a Russian invasion. The head of the security and defense committee, Roman Kostenko, denied information about the alleged accumulation of Russian army units on the border. Despite this, the mayor of Kiev, Vitali Klitschko, held a meeting with the security forces and announced the creation of a defense headquarters for the Ukrainian capital.
