The two officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the information, told Reuters that over the past two weeks the number of tactical battalion groups in the border area has increased from 60 to 83 as of Friday and another 14 groups are currently being transferred..
As for the timing of the invasion, the two officials said, the ground is expected to reach the freezing point around February 15, allowing Russian military units to cross the rough roads. Such conditions will continue until the end of March.
This timetable, with the increasing number and capabilities of Russian forces near Ukraine’s borders, may indicate the closing of the diplomatic window.
The two US officials did not provide evidence to support their estimates of the size of Russian forces.
With Russia massing more than 100,000 troops near the border, it denies planning to invade Ukraine, but it may take military action if its security demands are not met. These demands include not accepting Ukraine, in the future, as a member of NATO, a demand that the alliance and the United States said was unacceptable.