Thread by @TelegraphWorld

🇷🇺 Russia is preparing to invade Ukraine at the beginning of next year with far greater force than anything seen in the conflict to date, according to Ukrainian military intelligence.

Thread 🧵👇
telegraph.co.uk/world-news/202…

The Kremlin has sent 92,000 soldiers to its western border and could launch a multi-pronged offensive in January or February, Kyrylo Budanov said

➡️The assault would include airborne strikes as well as amphibious assaults via the ports of Odessa and Mariupol

🔎Ukrainian intelligence released a map detailing its assessment of how the invasion would play out...

...with Russian forces pushing deep into the country from north, east and south

💬Analysts noted that elements of the map are speculative, including Kyiv’s assessment that Russian fighter jets will invade from within Belarus.

Moscow’s air force has conducted patrols inside Belarus in the past month, but currently has no permanent military base there

Michael Kofman, director of Russia studies at the US Centre for Naval Analyses, said the map was nonetheless realistic.

🗣️“I think this is a sobering and fairly accurate picture of what is being considered...This is a worst case iteration of several possible contingencies”

➡️Mr Budanov said that Moscow’s priority was to increase internal pressure on the Ukrainian government through disinformation campaigns.

But that it would resort to military incursion if these tactics failed to lead to a change of government in Kyiv

⚠️ Last week, Oleksii Reznikov, the Ukrainian defence minister, warned that Vladimir Putin was “playing chess” with the West and was still considering whether to embark on a full-blown invasion

❌Western governments have voiced concern about the build-up of Russian troops on the border, while admitting to uncertainty over whether the Russian president is planning an invasion

Read more👇 telegraph.co.uk/world-news/202…