Russian buildup on Ukraine border continuing, Pentagon says

Russia strengthened its forces amassed on the border of Ukraine over the weekend, the Pentagon’s spokesman says, despite Moscow’s announcement that it was ending some military drills.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin “continues to add forces along that border with Ukraine and in Belarus, even just over the course of the weekend, he’s well north of 100,000,” spokesman John Kirby tells CNN.

“It’s not just the numbers,” Kirby continues. “It’s combined arms capabilities that he has available to him from everything from armor to infantry to special operations to cyber and air and missile defense.”

In this photo taken from video provided by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on February 14, 2022, soldiers practice at the Obuz-Lesnovsky training ground during the Union Courage-2022 Russia-Belarus military drills in Belarus. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP)

The United States has warned that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be imminent, and their Western allies have threatened a crippling package of economic sanctions in response.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced earlier on Monday the end of some of Moscow’s massive military drills in Russia and Belarus, though he told Putin others were ongoing.

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