Military & Defense

Russia is increasing combat readiness in eastern Ukraine, defense ministry warns

Russian President Vladimir Putin at military parade
Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Navy Day parade in St. Petersburg, July 2021. ALEXEY NIKOLSKY/SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images
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Ukraine's defense ministry warned that Russia was stepping up its "combat readiness" in Ukraine.

In a statement on Tuesday, it said that Russia "is increasing the combat readiness of the Russian occupation forces in the temporarily occupied territory in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions."

It said that Russia ran "large-scale command and staff exercises" on Monday, including pulling up reserve troops. 

It comes amid heightened warnings that Russia may be preparing to invade Ukraine.

The US is warning allies that Russia could decide to invade Ukraine in the next few months and could deploy around 100,000 troops to Ukraine, Bloomberg reported this week.

Experts told Insider's Ryan Pickrell that Russia invading Ukraine is a "very real possibility."

Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014. Russian-backed separatists are also fighting in eastern Ukraine.

The head of Ukraine's defense intelligence agency told Military Times on Saturday that Russia already has around 100,000 troops on its border with Ukraine, and that Russia was preparing for a possible attack that could come in early 2022.

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Sinéad Baker's face on a grey background
Sinéad Baker
Sinéad Baker is a Military and Defense Correspondent based in Business Insider's London bureau, writing about Russia's invasion of Ukraine and NATO actions.Sinéad most often covers soldiers' experiences, military strategy, battlefield developments, weapons systems, the defense industry's response, and the impact on NATO and European security, and geopolitical decisions that surround the Ukraine war. She has reported from NATO’s frontlines and around Europe,  has interviewed multiple prime ministers and defense ministers, has appeared on BBC News and The Guardian's politics podcast, and has been cited by Congressional hearings.Sinéad has also extensively covered US politics and previously led Business Insider's breaking news coverage from London.Sinéad previously completed a master's degree in investigative journalism at City, University of London, and has written for The Guardian, The Observer, and TheJournal.ie. Sinéad is the former editor of the multi-award-winning The University Times in Dublin.Expertise
  • Experiences of soldiers in Ukraine, including battlefield developments and tactics
  • Western military responses to the war, and lessons they should learn
  • New weaponry built for and in response to the war 
Email Sinéad at sbaker@bjinnox.com or find her on X.