Putin is mobilizing 200,000 troops for a new invasion to overthrow Ukraine — and he won’t stop, NATO chief warns

RUSSIA is mustering at least 200,000 troops for a massive new attack on Ukraine, NATO’s top official has warned.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said grimly that there were “no signs” that Vladimir Putin was “preparing for peace”.

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He warned that Russia was preparing for “more war” ahead of the conflict’s first anniversary in late February.

It comes amid intelligence reports that Mad Vlad may be preparing for a massive new offensive.

And it has been reported that Vlad may launch a new Blitzkrieg-style attack to try and win the war by capturing Kyiv.

Ukraine fears the attack could coincide with February 24 – the first anniversary of the Vlad’s invasion.

Stoltenberg gave no details – but reiterated the need for the West to continue to arm Ukraine.

He warned the world to “prepare for the long haul” and said it was “extremely important that Putin doesn’t win”.

Russia’s victory in Ukraine would strengthen dictators and make the world “more dangerous”.

He warned Putin not to sit down at the table while he still “believes he can win on the battlefield.”

In South Korea, Stoltenberg said, “We see no signs that President Putin and the rules in Moscow are preparing for peace.”

“We see the opposite. We see them preparing for more war, mobilizing more soldiers, more than 200,000 and possibly even more.

“That they are actively ramping up new weapons, more ammunition, their own production, but also acquiring more weapons from other authoritarian states like Iran and North Korea.

“Most importantly, we have seen no sign that President Putin has changed his overall objective of this invasion, which is control of a neighbor, control of Ukraine.

“As long as this is the case, we have to be prepared for the long haul.”

Stoltenberg stated that the only way to force Putin to the table is to keep arming Ukraine.

“What we do know is that what’s happening around this table is inseparable from, and entirely dependent on, the situation on the battlefield,” he said.

“So if we really want Ukraine to assert itself as a sovereign, independent state in Europe, then we have to support it now.

“Military support today makes it possible to reach a peace agreement tomorrow.”

Ukraine warned in the winter that Putin’s forces will prepare for another attack in 2023.

And they continue to demand weapons – their forces are now to receive Challenger, 2 Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams tanks from the UK, Germany and the US.

Oleksiy Danilov, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, said: “Now they are preparing for maximum activation and believe that by the anniversary they should achieve some successes.

“It’s no secret that they are preparing for a new wave until February 24, as they say themselves.”

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It has been 11 months since Mad Vlad invaded Ukraine and his troops streamed across the border to march on Kyiv.

But it wasn’t the day-long “special military operation” that Putin and his men had hoped for.

And now more than 126,000 Russians lie dead on Ukraine’s muddy battlefields.

The war has caused Vlad’s forces to be thrown back and all hopes of a quick victory have sunk to the bottom of the Black Sea.

But despite staggering casualties, the Russian army is said to be over a million strong, with another two million reservists who could be called up.

And Putin’s defense chief Sergei Shoigu has announced plans to increase the number of active members to one and a half million from 2023.

Putin’s future now depends on his success or failure in the war – with rumors of his health and fears of a coup.

Kyiv has warned that Russia is preparing to call up another 500,000 conscripts to bolster its depleted military – in addition to the 300,000 called up in October.

And earlier this month, Russian newspaper Volya Media reported that Russia could be preparing for a new offensive involving up to 700,000 troops.

It comes amid a flurry of speculation about what will happen next in the war – with Russia consistently lagging behind despite recent gains at Soledar.

It has been suggested that Putin may announce a second wave of mass mobilization to strengthen his army and war games are taking place between Belarus and Russia.

Russian troops and forces continue to advance into the former Soviet state ruled by Europe’s last dictator, Alexander Lukashenko.

And questions remain as to whether Putin will pressure Belarus to officially join the war against Ukraine.

The mastermind behind the new plan is reportedly General Valery Gerasimov.

Gerasimov – the chief of the General Staff – was given direct control of Putin’s invasion, ousting former commander “General Armageddon” Sergey Surovikin.

Elsewhere it was reported that Vlad Gerasimov has ordered significant progress to be made by March – including taking control of Donbass by March.

Volya reported that Gerasimov believes an attack on the western regions could end the war by forcing Ukraine’s surrender.

It has been reported that Gerasimov dreams of fighting a war on the scale of World War II – gathering thousands of soldiers, tanks and artillery pieces to “level cities”.

The outlet concluded its report by saying the slaughter in Ukraine could reach a scale “not seen since the war began” on February 24.

Russia has publicly announced plans to increase the size of its military in 2023 – from around 1 million to 1.5 million by 2026.

And Ukraine has repeatedly warned of a new Russian offensive, with heroic Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urging the West to send them more weapons.

The Kremlin remains furious over the arms shipments to Ukraine, calling the conflict a “hybrid war” with the West.

Russia continues to terrorize Ukraine – and today it was revealed that Mad Vlad even threatened to kill Boris Johnson in a phone call before the invasion.

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