Developing

See,

1) Luke Harding and Richard Luscombe, “Russia has enough troops ready to take Kyiv, says former Ukraine defence chief
White House believes Moscow has amassed at least 70% of firepower needed for mid-February invasion,” The Guardian,
February 6, 2022 (16.34 GMT);

2) By Rachel Pannett, Amy B Wang, Robyn Dixon and Karen DeYoung, “As U.S. predicts Russia could seize Kyiv in days, diplomatic efforts set to intensify this week
Russia dismisses the new U.S. intelligence assessments that a full-scale Russian invasion could leave as many as 50,000 civilians dead or injured as ‘scaremongering’, Washington Post, February 6 2022 (Updated at 7:16 p.m. EST).

This article is an update of an earl article, adding quotes from Russian officials, and a statement by National Security Adviser Jakes Sullivan on Sunday television this morning:

“We’re in the window where something could happen. That is, a military escalation and invasion of Ukraine could happen at any time,” Sullivan said on NBC News’s ‘Meet the Press.'”;

3) Katrin Bennhold, “Germany’s ‘Invisible’ Chancellor Heads to Washington Amid Fierce Criticism; Olaf Scholz will try to repair Germany’s credibility in the Ukraine crisis when he meets President Biden on Monday. Next on his agenda: Kyiv and Moscow, New York Times, February 6, 2022 (Updated 3:51 p.m. ET);

Katrin Bennhold if the Berlin Bureau Chief of the New York Times.

3) Anne Applebaum, “The Reason Putin Would Risk War; He is threatening to invade Ukraine because he wants democracy to fail—and not just in that country,” The Atlantic, February 3, 2022.

This article provides excellent background on Putin’s trajectory since he was a KGB officer in Dresden in the late 1980’s and why he fears democracy in Ukraine to such an extent. Applebaum has deep knowledge of Putin, Russia, and Ukraine, and describes the necessary context for understanding current developments.

4) Bernardo de Miguel, María R. Sanuquillo, y G. Cuesta,”Mentiras y medias verdades en el conflicto ucranio: la OTAN nunca se comprometió a no ampliarse al este y Kiev no es un régimen nazi; En un ecosistema en el que abunda la desinformación y la propaganda, EL PAÍS trata de aclarar los hechos,” El País, el 5 de febrero 2022 (22:48 EST).

The authors provide an excellent and succinct analysis of Russian propaganda about Ukraine, and effectively refute its lies and distortions. Use Google Translate to read it in English. It is well worth your time.

5) Helene Cooper and David E. Sanger, “U.S. Warns of Grim Toll if Putin Pursues Full Invasion of Ukraine; Biden administration officials told lawmakers that a large-scale Russian invasion could kill as many as 50,000 civilians and prompt a refugee crisis in Europe,” New York Times, February 5, 2022.