Over 150,000 Russian troops are stationed near Ukraine, according to a U.S. official, as reports of attacks continue.

Over 150,000 Russian troops are stationed near Ukraine, according to a U.S. official, as reports of attacks continue.
Over 150,000 Russian troops are stationed near Ukraine, according to a U.S. official, as reports of attacks continue.
  • On Friday, the Ukrainian government and Russian state-controlled media traded new accusations of cease-fire breaches along Ukraine's eastern border.
  • On Friday, Michael Carpenter, the U.S. ambassador to the OSCE, stated that the U.S. estimated Russia had gathered between 169,000 to 190,000 military personnel near Ukraine, which is an increase from the 100,000 troops reported on January 30.
  • At a U.N. Security Council meeting on Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that Russia intends to fabricate a justification for an attack on Ukraine.

On Friday, the Ukrainian government and Russian state-controlled media traded accusations of cease-fire violations along the eastern border.

On Friday, the Ukrainian Joint Forces Operation reported 45 cease-fire violations in eastern Ukraine by 2 p.m. local time. The JFO claimed that 34 of these violations involved the use of weapons prohibited by the Minsk agreements, which were signed in 2014 and 2015 by Russia, Ukraine, and pro-Moscow separatists to prevent a war in eastern Ukraine.

On Friday, RIA reported that Ukrainian government forces carried out three shelling attacks against Russian-backed separatists.

CNBC was unable to verify either report.

On Thursday, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe stated that its mission in Ukraine had recorded nearly 600 cease-fire violations in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which is significantly higher than the 153 violations reported in the previous period.

On Friday, Michael Carpenter, the U.S. ambassador to the OSCE, stated that the U.S. estimated Russia had gathered between 169,000 to 190,000 military personnel near Ukraine, which is an increase from the 100,000 troops reported on January 30.

On Friday, Denis Pushilin, leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine, announced that the DPR would begin an immediate evacuation of its residents to Russia due to intensifying shelling. Russian state media RIA also reported on the evacuation plans. However, CNBC has not been able to independently verify these claims.

Near the Russian border, the eastern part of Ukraine has been the site of ongoing low-level fighting for years. The OSCE frequently reports violations of the cease-fire in this region, which has resulted in the deaths of approximately 13,000 people during the past eight years of conflict.

Putin escalates the situation in Ukraine

On Thursday, at a U.N. Security Council meeting, Russian officials reportedly circulated a document that made allegations of war crimes in Ukraine and accused the Ukrainian government of "exterminating the civilian population" in the country's east, according to Reuters.

According to Reuters, a U.S. official labeled the accusations as "absolutely untrue."

Russia 'creating a pretext to justify invasion'

Russia may use false claims about the conflict in eastern Ukraine as a reason for an invasion, according to a warning from the U.S.

On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken informed the U.N. Security Council that these claims could involve a fabricated terrorist bombing in Russia, a staged drone strike against civilians, a fake or real attack using chemical weapons, or any other false accusation that could be attributed to Ukraine.

Despite Moscow's repeated denials of invading Ukraine, Western officials have expressed doubt about its claims of withdrawing soldiers from the border.

The U.S. ambassador to the OSCE, a carpenter, stated on Friday that recent intelligence suggests that Moscow is planning to stage a false attack against Russian sovereign territory or Russian-speaking people in separatist-controlled territory, which could lead to military action against Ukraine.

Both Joe Biden, the U.S. President, and Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, have stated that they believe Russia is carrying out a "false flag" operation.

'Moment of peril'

At the U.N. Security Council on Thursday, Blinken stated that "this is a critical juncture for the security of millions of people," emphasizing that the US had obtained evidence indicating that Russian troops were preparing to attack Ukraine imminently.

Russia and Ukraine tensions build as U.S. proposes diplomatic options to crisis

If Russia invades Ukraine, its tanks and soldiers will likely target key locations, including the capital city of Kyiv, with a population of 2.8 million people.

On Friday, Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov informed Parliament that while the threat is not being underestimated, the likelihood of a large-scale invasion escalation is relatively low.

On Saturday, Russia will hold extensive military exercises involving its nuclear forces, according to Russian state media reports from Friday.

On Friday, Biden will confer with the leaders of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Romania, the U.K., the EU, and NATO about the crisis in Ukraine.

Russian and American officials are expected to meet next week.

Russia has requested that Ukraine never joins NATO, the world's strongest military alliance, and wants NATO to reduce its presence in Eastern Europe. However, both the U.S. and NATO have declined these demands.

by Chloe Taylor

politics