In Siberian cold, at -15 degrees, Ukrainian soldiers guard their territory from endless trenches.
“We are all here worried about the situation.
Everyone is evacuating embassies, their staff, foreign countries… First they said 'we will support you', but now they are evacuating their diplomats.
Weird, isn't it?
worries Olegski, a Ukrainian army officer in a building riddled with shell impacts.
100,000 Russian soldiers, armored vehicles and guns are massed on the borders of Ukraine.
Six thousand men, fighter planes and bombers have been participating since Tuesday, January 25 in exercises in the South and in annexed Crimea.
Moscow also announced last week naval maneuvers in the Atlantic, Arctic, Pacific and Mediterranean and joint exercises in Belarus.
VIDEO.
If Russia attacked Ukraine tomorrow, what would France's position be?
Tension has risen a notch in recent days between Moscow and Washington.
The Americans fear a Russian invasion.
Joe Biden has let it be known that he "could conceive" of personally sanctioning Vladimir Putin, in the event of an invasion of Ukraine.
On the American side, 8,500 soldiers have been placed on alert since Monday.
They could reinforce the 40,000 strong NATO Rapid Reaction Force.
The Alliance, for its part, announced that it was placing forces on standby and sending ships and combat aircraft to strengthen its defenses in eastern Europe.
At the same time, diplomatic efforts are multiplying to try to obtain a "de-escalation" and avoid a conflict at the gates of Europe.
“The chances of an invasion are slim.
I believe this is probably just an ongoing information war to scare people and create panic.
It makes no sense to worry about it,” testifies Vladimir, a Ukrainian soldier who nevertheless prepares like the others, for the worst.