U.S., allies: High risk of Russian invasion

Secretary of State Antony Blinken outlined strategies the United States and Britain expect Russia to implement to invent a reason to invade Ukraine. While declining to reveal the evidence for the strategies, Blinken said Russia will likely stage an event like a terrorist bombing and then open an attack on Ukraine with cyberattacks and bombs. President Joe Biden also warned that the risk of an invasion in the next several days is “very high.” The Kremlin warned it will adopt “military-technical measures” if the West ignores its demands to keep Ukraine out of NATO.

What is Russia up to? Authorities in Ukraine’s Luhansk region reported a “large-scale provocation” on Thursday. They claimed Russia increased shelling on Ukrainian military troops, hitting a kindergarten and injuring two civilians. The State Department revealed that Russia expelled the No. 2 U.S. diplomat from its embassy in Moscow last week. NATO allies estimate Russia’s 150,000 troops along Ukraine’s borders represent roughly 60 percent of the nation’s overall ground forces. Russia previously announced it was withdrawing some troops, but intelligence officials said constant movements are masking the military’s intentions. Russia said Friday it would launch large-scale drills of its nuclear forces over the weekend.

Dig deeper: Read Tennyson Bush’s report in World Tour about a Christian radio station in Ukraine.