Ukrainians tense at frontline as Russia troop build-up increases

On Friday (3 December), Ukraine’s defense minister has estimated that Russia has placed more than 94,000 troops near the borders.

The Ukrainian defense minister, Oleksii Reznikov, also noted that an escalation “is a probable scenario, but not certain, and our task is to avert it.”

Ukrainian and Western officials recently spoke up about a Russian troop build-up near the border with Ukraine, saying they feared it could indicate the beginnings of an invasion.

So far, Russia has denied planning an invasion and accused Ukraine and its Western supporters of fabricating claims to distract from their own allegedly aggressive plots.