{"id":11877,"date":"2021-12-08T23:28:16","date_gmt":"2021-12-08T23:28:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/12\/08\/russians-have-120000-troops-on-its-border-increased-intel-gathering-ukraine-ministry-says\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T05:16:22","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T05:16:22","slug":"russians-have-120000-troops-on-its-border-increased-intel-gathering-ukraine-ministry-says","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/08\/russians-have-120000-troops-on-its-border-increased-intel-gathering-ukraine-ministry-says\/","title":{"rendered":"Russians have 120,000 troops on its border, increased intel gathering, Ukraine ministry says"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Russians now have about 120,000 troops <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/02\/tensions-grow-over-ukraine-with-the-trading-of-threats\/\" target=\"_blank\">arrayed around Ukraine<\/a>, and they are increasing their intelligence gathering activities, according to the latest Ukrainian military assessment, obtained by Military Times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those figures, updated Wednesday, include some 98,000 ground troops and about 22,000 air and naval forces, according to the assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition, Russia has carried out 2,500 military exercises \u201cof different scales\u201d along the border with Ukraine, according to the Ukraine Ministry of Defense, \u201cincluding series of strategic table top offensive exercises this year.\u201d Another 3,000 are planned for next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSituation on the temporary occupied territories and around Ukraine remains difficult,\u201d according to the assessment. \u201cMoscow regularly demonstrates its military power and readiness for aggression. The main goal of [the Russian Federation] is to restore the full control over Ukraine and to thwart its Euroatlantic aspirations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While the latest assessment does not indicate the likelihood or timeline of a potential invasion, Brig. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, head of Ukraine\u2019s defense intelligence, previously told Military Times that Russia is preparing for an invasion by late January or early February.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/11\/20\/russia-preparing-to-attack-ukraine-by-late-january-ukraine-defense-intelligence-agency-chief\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21113343743431.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Russia preparing to attack Ukraine by late January: Ukraine defense intelligence agency chief<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">Russia is building toward the ability to carry out an attack on Ukraine, the head of it&#039;s defense intelligence agency told Military Times.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The latest Ukrainian assessment provides an update on what that nation\u2019s military says the Russian troops are doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Russian Federation periodically redeploys and accumulates its military units to maintain tension in the region and political pressure on the neighboring states,\u201d the assessment states. \u201cRedeployment of Russian military personnel is being carried out from the military exercise areas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leaving weapons like Iskander short-range ballistic missile systems, tanks and other armored vehicles near the border of Ukraine, \u201callows Russian leadership to create striking forces rapidly and lays ground for quick reinforcement (1\u20132 weeks) by engaging forces ready for offensive actions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Pentagon declined comment on the Ukrainian assessment and the Russian embassy did not respond to a request for comment. Russian officials, however, have denied any intent to invade Ukraine, instead saying it is Ukraine that is fomenting trouble.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/07\/biden-putin-square-off-as-tension-grows-on-ukraine-border\/\">President Joe Biden<\/a> on Wednesday insisted that sending U.S. troops to Ukraine to fend off a Russian invasion is \u201cnot on the table\u201d but still promised a strong American response to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2021\/11\/30\/putin-warns-west-moscow-has-red-line-about-ukraine-nato\/\">Russian President Vladimir Putin <\/a>if such a military advance occurs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI made it very clear, if in fact he invaded Ukraine, there will be severe consequences,\u201d Biden told reporters. \u201cThere will be economic consequences like none he\u2019s ever seen, or ever have been seen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Biden will speak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday to discuss Russia\u2019s military build-up on Ukraine\u2019s borders, according to the White House press pool. He will then convene a call with the leaders of the Bucharest Nine group of eastern flank NATO allies \u2014Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia \u2014 to brief them on his call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, hear their perspectives on the current security situation, and underscore the United States\u2019 commitment to Transatlantic security.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3500\" height=\"2333\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Russia7.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26645\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Russia7.jpg.jpg 3500w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Russia7.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Russia7.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Russia7.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Russia7.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Russia7.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3500px) 100vw, 3500px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FILE &#8211; In this photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, flames rise over the Mulino training ground in the Nizhny Novgorod region during the joint strategic exercise of the armed forces of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus Zapad-2021 in the Nizhny Novgorod region, Russia, on Sept. 11, 2021. Ukrainian and Western officials are worried that a Russian military buildup near Ukraine could signal plans by Moscow to invade its ex-Soviet neighbor. The Kremlin insists it has no such intention and has accused Ukraine and its Western backers of making the claims to cover up their own allegedly aggressive designs. (Vadim Savitskiy\/Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Increased intelligence gathering<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIntelligence activity of [the Russian Federation] against Ukraine is intensified,\u201d according to the assessment. \u201cAdditional maneuver SIGINT units were redeployed next to the Ukrainian border. Reconnaissance aircraft of [Russian Federation] fly along the border of Ukraine and above the \u2026 Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The frequency of such activities, according to Ukraine\u2019s MOD, \u201chave increased 3 times compared to the same period last year.\u201d The assessment does not specify the exact number of such incidents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In his interview with Military Times, Budanov disclosed that the Russians may attack through Belarus. The Wednesday MOD assessment says the Russians are also increasing their coordination with Belarus, opening a \u201cnorthern theater of operations\u201d from inside that nation, which shares a long border with Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIntegration of military components of Belarus and Russia is in progress,\u201d according to the assessment, and a \u201cunified regional air-defense system\u201d of the two nations was put into operation. \u201cRussia and Belarus established a Joint Belorussian Air Defense and Russian Air Space Force Command Center during the \u2018Zapad-2021\u2032 exercise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In addition, Russian and Belarusian air forces have conducted joint patrols along the borders of Belarus since Nov. 25, according to the MOD assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRussia increases its military contingent in Belarus,\u201d according to the assessment, noting that Russian military equipment was left in Belarus after the Zapad exercise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cUnder the guise of joint exercises, the Russian Federation is assessing the preserved Belarusian military camps for the possible deployment of Russian units there,\u201d the assessment states. \u201cRussia deploys its aviation and anti-aircraft components in Belarus on a regular basis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ukraine claims that C-400 air defense systems (in Grodno) and Su-30 fighter jets (at the airfield in Baranovichi) \u201cremain on the territory of Belarus after \u2018Zapad-2021\u2032 strategic exercises.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Ukraine military also claims the reconnaissance mission against Ukraine from Belarus has intensified.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Situation in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some 2,100 Russian troops from the 1st and 2nd Army Corps of the Southern Military District in eastern Ukraine oversee the activities of about 35,000 Russian-aligned separatists, according to the assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cAbout 2,100 personnel of the Russian Armed Forces are constantly fighting against Ukraine\u201d there, according to the MOD assessment. \u201cRussian generals and officers are taking the key positions. The special units of all Russian law-enforcement agencies, especially sniper groups, have \u2018combat practice\u2019 on the separation line.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Russian Federation \u201cpermanently aggravates [the] situation,\u201d according to the assessment. \u201cRecently, Russian troops and their mercenaries have increased shelling.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3500\" height=\"2333\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Russia8.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26655\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Russia8.jpg.jpg 3500w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Russia8.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Russia8.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Russia8.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Russia8.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Russia8.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3500px) 100vw, 3500px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">FILE &#8211; In this photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service, a joint strategic exercise of the armed forces of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus Zapad-2021 is seen in the Nizhny Novgorod region, Russia, on Sept. 11, 2021. Ukrainian and Western officials are worried that a Russian military buildup near Ukraine could signal plans by Moscow to invade its ex-Soviet neighbor. The Kremlin insists it has no such intention and has accused Ukraine and its Western backers of making the claims to cover up their own allegedly aggressive designs. (Vadim Savitskiy\/Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Ukraine said that there about five to 10 artillery firings every day on the line of contact in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, 30% from weapons larger than 100mm, which are prohibited by the Minsk agreements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As of Dec. 2,, a total of 2,369 shellings have been recorded this year, resulting in 65 troops killed and 263 wounded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe enemy has reinforced advanced units with tank groups and actively uses drones and snipers,\u201d according to the assessment. \u201cThis year, 29 Ukrainian defenders were lost and 13 more were wounded from sniper fire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The assessment does not include estimates for Russian forces killed and wounded, and Ukrainian officials declined to elaborate<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Situation in occupied Crimea<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cRussia continues militarization of occupied Crimea peninsula and the Black Sea region,\u201d according to the assessment, which claims there are about 33,000 Russian troops there. The deployment of tactical nuclear weapons on the temporary occupied territory of Crimea \u201cis not excluded,\u201d the assessment states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe Russian Federation prevents free shipping in the area,\u201d according to the assessment. \u201cCompletion of the construction of illegal Kerch Bridge has led to full Russian control over the Kerch Strait and restrictions on the passage of ships to the Sea of Azov. Russia\u2019s practice of closing down maritime areas in the Black and Azov Seas around the occupied Crimea under the guise of conducting exercises continues. This \u2018pirate\u2019 practice violates the provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Military Times reporter Leo Shane contributed to this story.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are about 98,000 Russian ground troops and about 22,000 air and naval forces arrayed around the former Soviet satellite, according to a Ukrainian military assessment obtained by Military Times.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":26644,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[100,8,23,93,12,25],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3264],"class_list":["post-11877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"RQYOMMTPNNFEFI7AGN6EI7J3VM","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/08\/russians-have-120000-troops-on-its-border-increased-intel-gathering-ukraine-ministry-says\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Russians have 120,000 troops on its border, increased intel gathering, Ukraine ministry says - Army Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"There are about 98,000 Russian ground troops and about 22,000 air and naval forces arrayed around the former Soviet satellite, according to a Ukrainian military assessment obtained by Military Times.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Russians have 120,000 troops on its border, increased intel gathering, Ukraine ministry says\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"There are about 98,000 Russian ground troops and about 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