Russian Military Buildup Raises Tensions, Increases Risk Of Broader Conflict Over Ukraine – Analysis
The pieces for a major surge of fighting in the Donbas continue to fall into place, highlighting an escalation of tensions between Russia and Ukraine that could potentially play out on the battlefield.
Analysts are loath to predict what will happen as Russia continues a massive military buildup near Ukraine’s borders and in Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula seized by Russian forces in 2014.
But while the more optimistic view is that the show of force is a bluff intended to test the West’s resolve in supporting Kyiv in the face of Moscow’s support for separatists in eastern Ukraine, the moves heighten the risks that fighting that has been contained to the Donbas since 2014 could spill over into a broader conflict.