- US officials have warned Ukraine of new intelligence saying Russia is planning a major attack, according to CNN and Newsweek.
- Ukrainian officials were told Tuesday morning that it's highly likely Russia will begin an invasion in the next 48 hours, per Newsweek.
- The intelligence reportedly highlights the risk to Kharkiv, the country's second-largest city.
The US has issued a warning to Ukraine that new intelligence suggests Russia is about to launch a major assault as its forces take up positions inside rebel-held areas of eastern Ukraine, according to reports from CNN and Newsweek.
Ukrainian officials were told Tuesday morning local Kyiv time that it's highly likely Russia will begin an invasion in the next 48 hours, according to the Newsweek report. A top US official also told Newsweek that "reporting from aircraft observers indicates Russia violated Ukrainian airspace earlier today, flying possible reconnaissance aircraft for a short period over Ukraine."
CNN reported that this intelligence highlighted the risk to the country's second-largest city of Kharkiv, in the northeast region near the Russian border, information they attributed to a senior Ukrainian official and a Western official familiar with the intelligence.
Ukrainian officials said they have not independently verified the intelligence and said that the United States has issued several similar warnings in recent months before assaults that never happened.
NATO allies were given a similar warning, but a top NATO military official told CNN that "no one knows for sure" what Russian President Vladimir Putin is going to do. On Monday, Putin ordered Russian troops into areas of eastern Ukraine, ostensibly to defend separatists there who have been fighting Ukrainian troops for years.
On Tuesday, the Ukrainian foreign minister said there are no plans to evacuate the city of Kharkiv, which US officials have warned is at particular risk in an assault.
Ukraine is expected to announce a 30-day state of emergency on Wednesday, according to the country's top security official.
Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said the state of emergency "can include restrictions on movement of transportation, additional inspections of transportation. This can include inspections of individuals' documents," the Financial Times reported.
On Wednesday, a senior defense official also disclosed that the US believes Putin has amassed nearly 100 percent of the forces they believe he would need to invade Ukraine, and that Russia may use its reserves and national guard, suggesting it was prepared to occupy territories gained.
—Idrees Ali (@idreesali114) February 23, 2022