Nearly 40,000 Russian troops as well as tanks and jets have assembled in eight different pockets along Ukraine's eastern border with Russia in what experts fear is in preparation for an attack, The Washington Free Beacon reported Wednesday.
Further, the Russians will be conducting military exercises in the coming days that could mask the attack on Ukraine, a tactic used in 2014 when Russia took over the Black Sea peninsula, the Free Beacon reported.
"We are extremely concerned about the increased tensions near the administrative boundary between Crimea and the rest of Ukraine," Navy Capt. Danny Hernandez, a spokesman for the U.S. European Command, told the Free Beacon. "We urge both sides to avoid provocative steps or rhetoric that could escalate the situation."
Regardless of Russia's intentions, be it an actual attack or posturing, the aggressive nature of the buildup and the location of it has the attention of the military and Congress, too.
"Unfortunately, President Obama is once again 'leading from behind' and is doing nearly nothing to buttress the Ukrainian people," Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kansas, a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence told the Free Beacon.
"Mr. Putin must respect the sovereignty of other nations. This is a non-negotiable lesson most countries learned long ago."
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