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Send a HeroBox Care Package Today!According to new reports, U.S. officials believe that Russian leader Vladimir Putin has already decided to invade Ukraine.
Following a meeting in the White House's Situation Room today, diplomats claimed that Putin could invade the country of 40 million people during the Olympics.
Biden reportedly began calling U.S. allies following the meeting to discuss the latest intelligence he received on Russia's military buildup.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there were “very troubling signs of Russian escalation.”
“We're in a window when an invasion could begin at any time – and to be clear, that includes during the Olympics,” he added.
Despite putting on a brave face, an official speaking from the podium in the White House's Brady Press Briefing Room sounded almost resigned to the prospect of war in Europe in remarks moments ago.
Western intelligence agencies believe Putin's most likely plan in case of a full-scale invasion would involve advancing several hundred kilometers in a lighting strike to the Dnieper River and laying siege to Kyiv.
Many analysts believe an invasion will commence in the next 24 to 48 hours.
In an appearance on MSNBC, Gen. Barry McCaffrey (ret.) guessed Russian forces could occupy Ukraine in under 90 days. Albeit after inflicting an untold number of deaths and devastating economic damage.
The administration and other countries are urging their citizens to leave Ukraine immediately.
The Guardian adds:
Within minutes of Biden's call. The UK foreign office urged British citizens in Ukraine “to leave now via commercial means while they remain available.”
The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said non-essential personnel at the Russian diplomatic mission to Ukraine were being advised to leave the country “for a while”, according to Tass news agency. Other embassies stepped up evacuations on Friday.
According to Walla News, Israel ordered family members of diplomatic staff out of the country, the European Union was reported to be planning to evacuate its own staff and the Kyiv Post reported that the US had called for American members of the Ukraine monitoring mission run by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe to leave the country by Tuesday.
Vice-Admiral Nils Andreas Stensønes, the head of the Norwegian intelligence service, said Russia now had 150,000 troops massed around Ukraine, and said the decision on whether to attack rested with Vladimir Putin.
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