Putin's riskiest endeavor ever

In this image provided by the U.S. Air Force, pallets of ammunition, weapons and other equipment bound for Ukraine.Photo supplied by Mauricio Campino/U.S. Air Force via AP

US ammunition, weapons and other equipment bound for Ukraine. Source: U.S. Air Force/AAP

The American President is contemplating personal sanctions against his Russian counterpart as tensions continue to rise over Ukraine. NATO forces have been placed on standby in response to a build up of Russian troops near the border - with plans drawn up to prevent a potential energy crisis hitting Europe.


At an airfield in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, crates filled with ammunition and defensive equipment are being unloaded.

These supplies come as NATO scrambles to bulk its defensive presence in this region - as Russia masses troops on the border with Ukraine.

Joe Biden is continuing to warn Russia against military action - saying a potential incursion into Ukraine would be the largest invasion since the second world war.

He has threatened economic consequences and is not ruling out targeting the Russian President directly.

More than 5,800 US troops have been placed on standby as part of the NATO response - but the President is admitting it's unlikely they will enter Ukraine to repel an invasion.

Ukraine's President, Volodymr Zelenskiy, urges calm.

In a televised address, he reminded citizens the recent withdrawal of personnel from Western embassies, does not signal an invasion is imminent.

Still - locals are unnerved about the estimated 100,000 Russian troops on the border and more are being moved to the region, for joint drills with ally Belarus on its border.

Andrea Kendall-Taylor, director of the transatlantic security program at the Center for a New American Security, says the movements of pro-Russian forces suggests, preparations for an invasion scenario. 

She says President Vladimir Putin, is looking to reduce the influence of the United States in Eastern Europe - effectively redressing the outcome of the Cold War.

"Putin is gambling wildly. I mean, I would say looking at, you know, his 22 years in power now that this is the riskiest endeavor he's embarked on. So there is a real risk that he is just grossly miscalculating about how easy this military move is going to be in Ukraine."

 

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Putin's riskiest endeavor ever | SBS Japanese