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US Defense Secretary Echoes Concerns of Possible Russian Invasion of Ukraine

by Jeff Seldin August 06, 2014

A top U.S. official is voicing concern that Moscow may be preparing to invade Ukraine.

For days, Western officials have been warning about the Russian military buildup along the border with Ukraine.

After a visit to U.S. European Command Headquarters, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel made his concern clear.

"When you see the buildup of Russian troops and the sophistication of those troops, the training of those troops, the heavy military equipment that's being put along that border, of course it's a reality and it's a threat. And it's a possibility, absolutely,' said Hagel.

Hagel's warning echoed earlier statements by Poland's prime minister and by NATO, which says Russia now has about 20,000 troops massed along the border, following a significant increase in recent days.

U.S. officials say what they find more worrying than the numbers are the capabilities of the Russian forces - a point made Tuesday by Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby.

"What matters is that they continue to reinforce these units here, that they are very capable and very ready across what we call combined arms capabilities: armor, artillery, air defense, special forces,' said Kirby.

Russian officials also have been increasingly defiant following a new round of U.S. and international economic sanctions.

On a call Wednesday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Russian President Vladimir Putin voiced concerns about what he called "incessant military operations" by Ukrainian forces, blaming them for an "escalation of humanitarian problems."

Russian scholar David Satter of the Hudson Institute says predicting what Putin and his allies may do next is difficult, but that how they operate is no mystery.

"They could be described accurately as a gang with a foreign policy. They are, they don't have any type of strategic vision beyond what's necessary to keep themselves in power,' said Satter.

Russian officials have raised the possibility of sending peacekeepers into Ukraine to help calm the situation - something both NATO and U.S. officials view with suspicion - noting Russia has a "track record" of using peacekeeping as a cover for unlawful military intervention.