Are Russia and Ukraine Headed for War?

Kiev and Moscow are again on war footing following a drastic escalation of the ongoing Donbas Conflict, with the Kremlin moving trainloads of military hardware into Russian-occupied Crimea.

The crisis on the Russia-Ukraine border has Europe on high alert, with a defense analyst warning the situation could descend into a “world war” within weeks if tensions aren’t stemmed.

Trains loaded with large amounts of Russian military hardware, including tanks and other heavy armored vehicles, as well as heavy artillery, appear to be streaming toward the country’s borders with Ukraine. There are unconfirmed reports that the scale of these movements is so significant that it has, to the dismay of Russian farmers, disrupted shipments of tractors and other agricultural equipment ahead of the spring harvest season. U.S. officials are now worried that a new major round of fighting between Russia and Ukraine may be imminent as a ceasefire is at risk of expiring tomorrow.

Pavel Felgenhauer, an independent Russian military analyst, has said that a European or even World War could be triggered in four weeks in Ukraine after Russia dispatched 4,000 soldiers to the disputed border with its neighbour.

“The threats are growing, and rapidly. Much is not discussed in the media, but we are seeing very bad signs. The crisis has the potential to escalate into a pan-European war, if not even a world one.” he said.

The analysis comes after President Vladimir Putin deployed up to 4,000 Russian soldiers along with tanks and other armoured vehicles to the disputed border with its neighbour.

Last week, Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Ruslan Khomchak had said that Russia is building up armed forces near Ukraine’s borders in a threat to the country’s security, accusing Moscow of pursuing an “aggressive policy” towards Kyiv.