It is not known exactly what the Russian forces gathering near the Ukrainian border are doing. In recent days, videos have appeared on social media showing Russian military trains and convoys carrying large amounts of military equipment, including tanks and missiles, in southern and western Russia.
"The most important thing is that these are not exercises" - said Michael Kofman Research Program Director in the Russia Studies Program at CNA.
Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, Oleksiy Danilov, said that after the end of the military exercises with Belarus Zapad 2021, Russia left military equipment and communication centers at training grounds along the border with Ukraine. He estimated that there may be 80,000-90,000 Russian soldiers deployed around the border with Ukraine. not counting the tens of thousands stationed in Crimea.
In October, Putin said that Ukraine's formal NATO membership may never happen, "but military expansion in the territory is already underway, and this really poses a threat to the Russian Federation."
