20,000 Russian Troops are on a ‘Hair Trigger’ near Ukraine ready to pounce and take more territory. Anyone foolish enough to believe that Putin was going to stop with Crimea needs to get their head examined. So where’s the next target for Putin? Bulgaria? Lithuania? Maybe Estonia.
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| 20,000 Russian Troops on ‘Hair Trigger’ Near Ukraine |
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Russia has put a military force of 20,000 on its border with Ukraine and could easily mount an invasion of the Ukrainian mainland without warning, alarmed U.S. defense officials told NBC News on Thursday.
The buildup raised concerns that Russia, which has already taken control of the Crimean peninsula and moved to annex it from Ukraine, will escalate the conflict by invading eastern Ukraine.
“It’s like they’re on a hair trigger,” one American defense official said.
The Russian military presence includes combat troops, heavy armor, attack helicopters, highly trained airborne forces and special-operations troops, the officials said. They stressed that there has been no change in the number or equipment in recent days.