RUSSIA is reportedly deploying a massive army on the Ukrainian border amid fears of an imminent invasion which risks destabilising Eastern Europe.
Ukraine‘s Deputy Defence Minister Ihor Dolhov says a recent surge of troops now means there are 55,000 Russian soldiers ready to invade.
There are allegedly thousands more stationed in Russian occupied Crimea and in pro-Moscow breakaway republics in the west and east of the country.
Ukraine is digging in because it is convinced Vladimir Putin wants to topple its pro-West government.
Mr Dolhov said: “Currently, Russia has amassed about 55,000 servicemen near the Ukrainian border.
“The presence of the Russian regular army on the territory of Ukraine varies from 5,000 to 7,500 soldiers.
“In Crimea, this figure is 23,000 troops, of which 9,000 are on the administrative border.”
As well as the build-up of troops, an array of Russian aircraft have allegedly been spotting practising huge bombing raids over Ukraine.
Meanwhile Ukraine has enraged the Kremlin with plans to stage missile firing drills into the Black Sea near Crimea.
Some Russian observers believe Moscow may use the dying days of Barack Obama’spresidency, which expires in January when Donald Trump is inaugurated, to carry out military strikes.
In 2014, Russia made several military moves into Ukrainian territory – despite condemnation from much of the world.
It snatched the strategically vital Black Sea port city of Crimea.
And Kremlin-backed Russian separatists are fighting the Ukrainian army in the breakaway republic of Donetsk People’s Republic in Donbass region.
Ukraine now fears Russia may invade so it can secure a land corridor to link the Russian mainland with Crimea and install a puppet government that is friendly to Moscow, rather than the West.
