<figure id="attachment_224584" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-224584"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="19286fa4"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/01/f7d52b1e654a212eda687359a0925c4d.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-224584" class="wp-caption-text">President Vladimir Putin and former President of Kazakhstan Nursultan Nazarbayev shake hands during their meeting in Russia last December.</figcaption></figure>
There is a 99% chance that Russia will invade Ukraine. There is a 99% chance that Russia will invade Ukraine, and it will be in mid-January, before the start of the Beijing Olympics. Once Ukraine is conquered, the world will have the image that U.S. forces have withdrawn from Europe, in addition to the Middle East and Afghanistan.
President Putin, 69, will attend the Beijing Olympics, which Japan and the U.S. are planning to diplomatically boycott, to appeal for unity between China and Russia with President Xi Jinping, 68. Ukraine is a souvenir,&#8221; said Itsuro Nakamura, a professor at Tsukuba University who specializes in Russian politics.
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
The situation in Ukraine is becoming more tense than ever. Currently, as many as 100,000 Russian troops are deployed on the border with Ukraine. There is no sign of their withdrawal. It is said that up to 175,000 troops, including heavy weapons and air units, will be assembled in the border area within a month.
On December 30 last year, as the end of the year was approaching, U.S. President Biden (79) and President Putin held a teleconference, and it was thought that the situation would calm down. However, hopes were dashed by a massive demonstration that took place in Kazakhstan on January 2 at the start of the new year. Four days after the outbreak of the demonstrations, Russia dispatched a large army and suppressed the anti-government organization in the blink of an eye. Mr. Nakamura, the author of this article, says, &#8220;The suppression was akin to the invasion of Ukraine.
 I believe that the suppression was a rehearsal for the invasion of Ukraine. As in the case of the annexation of Crimea in 2002, special forces were deployed to kill 164 people. Ukraine must have been shaken. The U.S. military and NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), having witnessed the suppression, could no longer move badly. The risk of a conflict was so high that they didn&#8217;t want to inflict casualties on their own troops over Ukraine.
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
The U.S. hurriedly set up a meeting between the U.S. and Russia at the undersecretary of state level on the 10th of this month. Yoshio Hotta, an international journalist, explains.
 Both the U.S. and Russia are in agreement that they do not want to engage in warfare in Ukraine. I think the U.S. wanted to show the international community that the U.S. is a world leader by putting pressure on Russia and preventing it from launching a military invasion.
Anton Troianovsky, a Moscow correspondent for The New York Times, expressed his growing sense of urgency.
 Anton Troianovsky, a Moscow correspondent for The New York Times, said, &#8220;The high-level talks between the U.S. and Russia were not high-level negotiations with concrete details, and there seems to be no progress in the discussions. If this continues, the situation may deteriorate to the point of placing medium-range missiles on the border with Ukraine.
At the meeting, Russia demanded that the United States reduce NATO&#8217;s activities in Eastern Europe. In addition, Russia stated that it has no intention to invade Ukraine. However, few people took that statement seriously. For Russia, making excessive demands and having them rejected is a pretext for the use of force.
 For Vladimir Putin, who is seeking a fifth term in the 2012 presidential election, the invasion of Ukraine is his last remaining trump card. When Crimea was annexed, Putin&#8217;s approval rating jumped from the 60% range to 84%. For President Putin, whose approval rating is currently in the doldrums, he wants Ukraine for his re-election. Simply deploying troops on the border would be too costly, so he probably wants to take control of the entire country in an instant.
The X-Day for the invasion of Ukraine is near. International journalist Toshihiro Yamada discusses the &#8220;worst-case scenario&#8221; that could shake up the international situation.
 The situation in Ukraine is connected to the situation in Taiwan. The situation in Ukraine is connected to the situation in Taiwan. Many people think that China, in alliance with Russia, will start to put pressure on Taiwan at a time when the U.S. is focusing on Ukraine. Russia and China are quasi-allies militarily, so they have a relationship of using each other. After the Beijing Olympics, the international situation may become chaotic.
Ahead of the &#8220;Festival of Peace,&#8221; tensions are rising in the international community due to the ambitions of President Vladimir Putin.
<figure id="attachment_224585" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-224585"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="dc222de9"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/01/fcb0a66b67544b639358929a5dae408e.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-224585" class="wp-caption-text">Russian soldiers suppress a demonstration in Kazakhstan. This is in the name of eliminating terrorism, but it is probably an attempt to show off their military power to the international community.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_224586" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-224586"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="c8a570a9"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2022/01/0ee69b1d5986fa0aa38dc21b54bf5cbb.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-224586" class="wp-caption-text">In Ukraine, demonstrations against the pro-Russian government are intensifying. A banner reads, &#8220;Putin is a war criminal.</figcaption></figure>
From FRIDAY, January 28, 2022

 afro kyodo news agency

 Russia is expected to invade Ukraine with high probability, and a large number of troops have been deployed near the border, which remains tense. Russia is expected to invade Ukraine with high probability.

 Putin's "rehearsal" for a large-scale invasion has been completed, including the immediate suppression of a massive demonstration in Kazakhstan with a large army, killing 164 people.

All set…! Putin aims for “complete control of Ukraine” behind the scenes of the Beijing Olympics

Access Ranking