Recently, the topic of Russia’s possible military invasion of Ukraine and the unleashing of a full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war has increasingly dominated the titles of Western media.

Politicians and experts are trying to make predictions and predict the intentions of Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding our state.

Western media write about the growing threat of an attack by the Russian Federation, the Kremlin’s ambitions and attempts by Western countries to prevent a new full-scale war on the continent.

So, the British BBC agency published an article titled: Ukraine: How do we know that the war has begun?

In it, Jonathan Marcus, an expert on security and defense, honorary professor at the Institute of Strategy and Security at the University of Exeter, draws attention to the fact that the armed conflict has already begun and the fighting has been going on for more than one year. Russia has already occupied the Ukrainian Crimea and is providing practical assistance to militants in the Donbas.

Now, against the background of the buildup of Russian troops on the border, Ukraine and its Western allies have every reason to worry.

– The buildup of Russian combat formations near the borders of Ukraine is extraordinary. This includes a significant deployment of forces in Belarus, which also shares a border with Ukraine, which could be the closest starting point for an attack on the Ukrainian capital Kiev. Representatives of the Russian Federation call this build-up exercises and in no way a threat. But its scale, the nature of the deployed units, the gradual arrival of supplies and other “means of support” suggest that this is much more than routine maneuvers… No matter what Moscow says, Ukraine and its friends in the West have every reason to worry,” the publication emphasizes.

It is noted that Moscow is trying to impose its own narratives and interpretation of the armed conflict in Ukraine on the world. It is for this purpose that the requirements regarding the so-called “security guarantees” were created. In Russia, they are trying to convince the world that they allegedly feel threatened by NATO, and therefore do not want Ukraine to join the Alliance.

Jonathan Marcus reminds that Moscow can use other tools against Ukraine, such as cyber attacks and subversive activities.

– What is happening now is the essence of the “war in the gray zone”: the blurring of the border between peace and war… The only question is how far President Putin is willing to go in the continuum of the “gray zone”, – says Marcus.

The American edition of The New York Times writes that fears about the Russian invasion of Ukraine are growing, but diplomatic opportunities still remain.

The author of the article, American journalist David Sanger, recalls that Russian troops are now encircling Ukraine from three sides (from the north, east and south). Washington and Brussels are warning Moscow of crushing sanctions if Vladimir Putin orders an invasion.

However, there are still diplomatic options for resolving the situation. It is expected that in the next few days, the administration of US President Joe Biden and NATO will respond in writing to the Kremlin’s demands regarding the so-called security guarantees. One of Moscow’s key ultimatums is the refusal of Ukraine to join NATO and the non-expansion of the Alliance.

– Although there is still time to avoid the worst, even President Biden’s key aides say they have no idea whether Putin is seeking a diplomatic solution rather than the conquest of Ukraine. The President of the Russian Federation considers Ukraine not as a separate state, but as a country rejected after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Many of those who have dealt with Putin believe that he sees his mission in “correcting” this “mistake”. Even if it means risking a war to redraw the map of Europe,” the publication says.

David Sanger emphasizes that no one knows exactly how much time there is to prevent military action against Ukraine.

The American edition of The Hill writes that the Joe Biden administration is struggling to put pressure on Russia amid growing concerns about a possible military invasion of Ukraine.

So, the Pentagon has put up to 8.5 thousand military personnel on high alert, which can be transferred to Eastern Europe to strengthen NATO troops. This should be a warning signal for Vladimir Putin.

The publication recalls that the Biden administration also threatened economic sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine. We are talking, in particular, about strict export controls, which can strike at key sectors of Russian industry.

– It remains unclear what Putin will do next, whether he intends to invade Ukraine, or use the threat of military action as a lever of influence. Some experts believe that a military invasion is more than likely, while others say that Putin may launch cyber attacks, disinformation campaigns and other similar actions, the publication says.

An article by the international agency The Associated Press notes that the crisis in Ukraine reflects the confrontation of two worldviews: Russian-centrist and Western.

The article authored by journalist John Danishevsky is called: The crisis in Ukraine is a confrontation between two worldviews.

– The crisis in Ukraine is unlikely to pass – the confrontation of two worldviews, which can turn Europe upside down. It carries echoes of the Cold War and revives the idea left over from the Yalta Conference of 1945: that the West should respect the Russian sphere of influence in Central and Eastern Europe, the agency notes.

The author of the article recalls that since coming to power in 2000, Russian President Vladimir Putin has not given up hope for a kind of revival of the Soviet Union, the collapse of which he considers a mistake. Now the owner of the Kremlin has concentrated troops along the Ukrainian border, organized military exercises in Belarus and demanded that Ukraine be permanently banned from joining NATO.

– Putin’s critics claim that he is not really afraid of NATO, but of the emergence of a democratic, prosperous Ukraine, which could offer an alternative to Putin’s increasingly authoritarian rule, and that Russians might like it. Russia’s current demands are based on Putin’s long-standing sense of discontent and his rejection of Ukraine and Belarus as truly separate, sovereign countries. He rather perceives them as part of the historical Russian linguistic and Orthodox “homeland,” the article says.

The AR reminds readers that Putin’s article was published last summer, in which he claimed that the current existence of Ukraine, Belarus and the Russian Federation as separate states is allegedly artificial.

– His (Vladimir Putin’s — Ed.) Russian-centric view of the region is a serious test for US President Joe Biden, who is already struggling with crises on several domestic fronts… The challenge for Biden, NATO and the European Union is whether their collective determination and solidarity will be able to protect Ukraine’s vision as part of the West and whether Putin’s Russian nationalist ambitions in the region will succeed or fail, the agency emphasizes.