UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon says he was given assurances by Russian President Vladimir Putin that his government has no intentions of invading eastern Ukraine or launching any other military operations against Ukrainian territory.
US officials, including Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, have reported the same thing throughout the past week, but despite this, the eagerness to play up the idea of a Russian invasion continues to have momentum.
Ukraine’s interim government is leading that charge, claiming far-fetched numbers of troops at the border, at times over 100,000, and saying they are getting the Kiev bomb shelters ready for the attack.
Ukraine’s military is sure hoping that’s not going to happen, with its leadership pointing out they are outnumbered, outgunned, and simply not prepared for a big war, especially after the recent protester-led regime change led to a huge turnover in its leadership.
