Russia attack on Ukraine?

Biden fears 'biggest invasion since World War II'

Created: 2022-01-26Updated: 2022-01-26 05:42

By: Florian Naumann, Stephanie Munk

Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, President of the USA.

(Montage) © Credit: Pavel BEDNYAKOV/Andrew Harnik/afp/dpa

In the Ukraine conflict, the United States is using heavier guns against Putin.

Russia is unimpressed and starts new military maneuvers on the border.

The news ticker.

• Russia has recently stationed more than 100,000 soldiers on the border with Ukraine.

  The West fears a new war in Europe.

  Moscow denies attack plans.

• On Wednesday, Russia* and Ukraine* will meet in Paris for new negotiations.

  German and French representatives want to mediate.

• According to US President Joe Biden*, an attack by Russia could become “the biggest invasion since World War II”.

  (see update from January 25, 21:20).

• This

  news ticker on the Ukraine conflict

  is continuously updated.

Update from January 25, 9:20 p.m

.: Given the massive troop presence near the border, a Russian invasion of Ukraine could, according to US President Joe Biden, be the “biggest invasion since World War II”. Such a move would “change the world,” Biden warned Tuesday. Referring to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Biden said he was “continuing to expand the troop presence along the Ukrainian border.”

Biden again warned Russia of drastic sanctions and countermeasures in the event of an attack.

At the same time, he stressed that there were no plans to move US troops to Ukraine.

"No American forces will be transferred to Ukraine," Biden said.

Yesterday, the US military put around 8,500 soldiers on increased readiness to enable them to be transferred to Europe at short notice if necessary.

Biden said it remains unclear whether Putin is actually planning an attack.

"I'll be perfectly honest with you: It's a bit like reading coffee grounds."

Ukraine conflict: Scholz and Macron on the Normandy format

Update from January 25, 6:34 p.m

.: Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and French President Emmanuel Macron rely on diplomacy within the framework of the Normandy format in the Ukraine conflict.

After a meeting in Berlin on Tuesday, the Chancellor and President welcomed the planned resumption of talks between Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine at the advisory level on Wednesday.

At the same time, Macron and Scholz made a threat to Russia.

Olaf Scholz and Emmanuel Macron at a press conference in Berlin on Tuesday.

© Tobias Schwarz/Pool/AFP

Update from January 25, 6:05 p.m .:

The United States is preparing for a possible reduction in Russian gas supplies to Europe in the event of an escalation in the Ukraine conflict.

"We work with countries and companies around the world to ensure security of supply and cushion price shocks for both the American people and the global economy," a senior US official said in Washington on Tuesday.

"We are in discussions with major natural gas producers around the world to determine their capacity and willingness to temporarily increase natural gas production and to allocate these volumes to European customers." 

The government official pointed out that gas was stored in storage facilities in Europe for several weeks. Efforts were aimed at providing replacements within days or weeks, not months, in the event of a reduction or failure of Russian supplies. The United States repeatedly suspects Russia of wanting to use energy as a weapon. The Kremlin, on the other hand, has dismissed fears in Germany that Russia could turn off the gas supply in the event of sanctions.

Another US official pointed to the serious consequences for the Russian economy if Moscow exploited gas or oil supplies in the conflict.

Russia needs revenues from oil and gas exports at least as much as Europe needs energy supplies.

“So this is not an asymmetric advantage for (Russian President Vladimir) Putin.

It's a mutual dependency.”

Ukraine conflict: Boris Johnson threatens Putin with sanctions "tougher than anything seen before"

Update from January 25, 4:10 p.m.:

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has threatened Russia with sanctions "tougher than anything we've seen before" if it invades Ukraine.

"We have agreed that we will jointly respond to any Russian attack on Ukraine with coordinated and severe economic sanctions," Johnson told Parliament in London on Tuesday.

On Monday evening, he discussed the situation in a telephone conversation with allied heads of state and government in the United States and Europe.

Asked whether Moscow could be expelled from the Swift international banking system, Johnson said: "There is no doubt that this would be a very effective weapon." He indicated that such a move would be led by the US must, and added: "We exchange about it."

According to the British prime minister, the Ukrainians would "stubbornly and stubbornly" defend themselves against a Russian invasion.

The resulting conflict would be "comparable to the first war in Chechnya or Bosnia or any other conflict Europe has seen since 1945," Johnson said.

Russia conflict comes to a head: Ukraine apparently strengthens troops around Chernobyl

Update from January 25, 3:30 p.m .: There

is great concern about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine.

According to a report in the

, the country has now even prepared itself for an invasion via an unlikely route: The focus is on the radioactively contaminated area around the Chernobyl reactor accident.

For example, Ukraine had already moved additional troops to the area two months ago.

The exclusion zone around Chernobyl is close to the border with Belarus, where Russian units had also been deployed.

A total of 7,500 Ukrainians were brought to the Belarusian border, but a representative of the Ukrainian border guards did not explain how many of them were sent to Chernobyl when asked by the newspaper.

Apparently, makeshift precautions were taken to protect the patrols: the soldiers were required to carry devices to monitor their exposure to radiation, the

reports .

Ukrainian border guard lieutenant Yuri Shakhraichuk defended the approach in an interview with the newspaper: "It doesn't matter whether it's contaminated here or nobody lives here," he emphasized: "This is our territory, our country, and we have to defend it." “.

Impression from the ghost town of Pripyat - here, too, Ukraine is preparing for a Russian invasion.

© Konrad Zelazowski/imago-images

Ukraine conflict comes to a head: Putin sends thousands of soldiers on maneuvers - NATO "instantly" ready

Update from January 25, 2:50 p.m .:

Russia is exacerbating the situation in the Ukraine conflict with further military exercises (

) - but the West is also taking at least planning steps for troop movements: Troops are immediately able to relocate if such a decision is made, said US Deputy National Security Advisor Jonathan Finer. The United States had previously announced that 8,500 soldiers would be ready for transport. According to the US Department of Defense, the troops should be ready for a possibly short-term transfer to Europe. According to a representative of the US government, decisions about possible troop movements lie with NATO. The defense alliance has the say in terms of changing the stationing of units, Finer said.

Meanwhile, the European Commission is well advanced in its preparation of possible measures against Russia, according to EU information.

An EU spokesman told journalists.

This applies to both deterrence and reaction measures in the event that dialogue fails and Russia does not de-escalate.

"Should Russia begin to violate Ukraine's territorial sovereignty in the future, we will react very decisively." The aggressor faced far-reaching political consequences and massive economic consequences.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron will meet in the evening.

The topic is then probably the Ukraine.

However, the British government considers a combat deployment of British soldiers in Ukraine to be unlikely - without completely ruling it out.

When asked in Parliament whether troops could be sent for a combat mission, Secretary of State Liz Truss said: "It is very unlikely that that will be the case".

Britain is working to ensure that the Ukrainian military has the weapons and training it needs to defend itself.

Ukraine: Russia holds further military exercises - "combat readiness check"

Update from January 25, 2:35 p.m .:

Despite all the threats from the West: Russian President Vladimir Putin is again provoking the Ukraine conflict.

On Tuesday he started new military exercises in the south of the country and in Crimea.

According to Russian news agencies, 6,000 soldiers, at least 60 combat aircraft and ships from the Black Sea and Caspian fleets are involved in the maneuvers.

The commander of the Russian armed forces for southern Russia, Alexander Dwornikov, said it was a "comprehensive service".

The maneuvers served to check combat readiness, the agencies reported.

Soldiers on the border with Ukraine trained how to get vehicles and technology ready to go as quickly as possible in order to move out to an operational area.

The process is likely to further increase tensions between Russia, Ukraine and the West.

Moscow had already started joint military maneuvers with Belarus about a week ago.

Update from January 25, 2:16 p.m .:

In order to be able to defend itself against Russian aggression, Ukraine is also demanding arms deliveries from Germany.

But the Scholz government has so far stuck to its line of not providing weapons.

However, the government is now faced with a somewhat bizarre dilemma: Estonia wants to deliver howitzers that once belonged to the GDR - and needs Germany's approval for this.

Ukraine conflict: Macron meets with Putin

Update from January 25, 1:20 p.m .:

In the tense Ukraine conflict, French President Emmanuel Macron wants to propose a way of de-escalation to Russian President Vladimir Putin. A conversation between the two should take place in the coming days, according to Élysée circles, according to the Kremlin until the end of the week. However, there is no exact date yet. Macron believes there is room for diplomacy and a defusing of the conflict. At the same time, however, he wanted to make it clear that Russia's military actions against Ukraine would have very serious consequences.

Update from January 25, 1:02 p.m .:

British Defense Minister Ben Wallace comes to talks about the development of the Ukraine conflict in Berlin.

The meeting planned for Wednesday with the new Federal Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) is the first inaugural visit to the department since the government was formed, the Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday.

Ukraine conflict: Putin provoked - soldiers train invasion of Ukraine

Update from January 25, 12:20 p.m .:

Russia is again demonstrating military strength in the Ukraine conflict: more than 1000 Russian tank soldiers have held exercises.

They were used to check combat readiness, the Ministry of Defense said in Moscow.

100 units of weapons, combat and special technology were used in the Moscow area.

Other soldiers from the western military district, which borders Ukraine, trained on how to get vehicles and technology ready for a command as quickly as possible in order to move out to an operational area.

Tanks had also completed several target exercises in rough terrain on the Crimean peninsula in the Black Sea, which was annexed by Russia, it was said.

Update from January 25, 11:17 a.m .:

The increased action of the USA in the Ukraine conflict is apparently fueling concern in Russia's political leadership.

Russia is now accusing the United States of fueling tensions in the Ukraine conflict by putting thousands of US soldiers on high alert.

"The United States is escalating tensions," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

"We are watching these US activities with great concern." The Kremlin spokesman confirmed that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be on the phone with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in the coming days because of the tensions.

Ukraine conflict: USA presents tough plan against Putin - Scholz briefed on "secret visit"?

First report from January 25, 9:50 a.m.:

Moscow/Washington, DC – Western states continue to try to dissuade Russian President Vladimir Putin* from a military strike against Ukraine.

information, the USA has now

presented a plan that provides for several severe penalties against Russia in the event of an invasion of Ukraine.

The goal: Russia's role in the world economy is to be catastrophically weakened if it starts a war against its smaller neighbor.

According to the report, the United States and the West want to block raw material supplies from Russia and thus checkmate the country as the world's largest exporter of energy.

More than 500 billion dollars are said to slip through the fingers of the Kremlin.

Domestically, this could have serious consequences, since sooner or later Putin would run out of money for social benefits for the Russian population.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is sending a strong warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

(Montage) © Alex Brandon/Mikhail Metzel/dpa

Ukraine conflict: US plans sanctions for Putin's Russia

, the US is also planning

to block Russian trade routes worldwide, including arms deliveries, and to expel Russian diplomats from Western embassies.

This should also weaken the Russian secret service.

The attack plan against Putin was designed by CIA director William Burns.

According to

, he was on a “secret visit” in Germany two weeks ago to discuss sanctions against Russia in the Ukraine conflict with Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

It had been decided that an invasion of Ukraine would have to end "painfully" for Putin.

The CIA chief specifically demanded that Germany bury the controversial Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline completely if Russia attacks Ukraine.

Scholz was hesitant on this question in the past *, but had recently put more pressure on Putin when it came to Nord Stream 2.

The US government had recently announced that it had put around 8,500 soldiers on increased standby in response to the escalating Ukraine crisis.

On Wednesday (January 26) should be new talks between Ukraine and Russia.

At the meeting in Paris, representatives from Germany and France will also sit at the negotiating table.

Ukraine conflict with Russia: The background

Pro-Russian separatists have been fighting the Ukrainian army in eastern Ukraine since 2014.

Kiev and the West accuse Moscow of providing military support to the separatists, which the Kremlin denies.

More than 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict.

In the past few weeks, Russia has massed tens of thousands of soldiers on the Ukrainian border.

The West therefore fears a possible Russian invasion of the neighboring country.

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