Ukraine conflict: Russia apparently moves helicopters to the border - weather is crucial

Created: 01/11/2022, 4:47 PM

From: Cindy Boden

Vladimir Putin (left), President of Russia, listens to Boris Obnosov, General Director of the Tactical Missile Armament Society, during their meeting in Putin's Novo-Ogaryovo headquarters.

(Archive image) © Evgeniy Paulin / dpa

There is still no rapprochement in the Ukraine crisis.

A US report is now heating up the discussion that Russia is accelerating preparations for a possible attack.

Kiev / Moscow - Russia repeatedly assures that it does not want to attack Ukraine.

But the western nations are concerned.

Soldiers at the Ukrainian border created different impressions.

Now there is a new report that also speaks of helicopters and planes at the border.

According to the

, the number of troops has remained largely constant despite predictions to the contrary.

But according to officials, Russian President Vladimir Putin is beginning to take steps to deploy military helicopters.

So is planning for an attack going on after all?

Allegedly there are still around 100,000 soldiers near the border.

Attack aircraft were also positioned.

Ukraine conflict: temperatures as a decisive factor

Probably a decisive factor for a possible attack: the weather. According to the

, US officials say

Russia's window of time for an invasion is limited, should there be an order. Temperatures are crucial, because if the ground is frozen, heavy vehicles and equipment can be moved easily. Rather, there might be muddy ground in the spring. A relatively mild winter has so far slowed the freezing of the ground. According to government officials, Putin could therefore be forced to postpone a possible ground offensive until February at the earliest.

Biden's government has now even commissioned meteorologists to monitor the likely weather in Ukraine more closely in the coming weeks.

In addition, the USA has been flying over Ukraine with bugging planes on a regular basis since the end of December.

The communication of the Russian ground commanders could be eavesdropped.

Video: Ukraine insists on military support from Germany

Ukraine: NATO-Russia consultations are pending - "No clear signals of de-escalation"

Moscow categorically rejects any plans to invade Ukraine.

However, ahead of important NATO consultations with Russia, the USA has so far seen no efforts to relax the situation by Moscow in the Ukraine crisis.

Russia continues to have around 100,000 soldiers on the border with Ukraine, said the US ambassador to NATO, Julianne Smith, on Tuesday the US broadcaster CNN.

“We believe that they have plans to move more troops to the front.” At the moment, there are no “clear signals of de-escalation” from Russia being seen.

A meeting of the NATO-Russia Council is scheduled for this Wednesday in Brussels - the first in two and a half years.

Thereafter there will be talks in Vienna on Thursday within the framework of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).

Representatives of the USA and Russia met for bilateral talks in Geneva on Monday.

In the Ukraine crisis, however, there was no convergence.

The United States and the Western defense alliance NATO are calling for Russian troops to be withdrawn from the border with Ukraine.

Russia is calling for US troops and arms cuts in Europe and an assurance that NATO will not be expanded further east.