LUHANSK, UKRAINE — The BBC reports that the Russia-Ukraine conflict is escalating dangerously, as multiple sources are reporting large Russian military movements towards the eastern Ukrainian border, and into the Crimea — which Russian forces annexed from Ukraine in March 2014.
Ukrainian intelligence sources told the BBC that the additional Russian forces amount to 16 battalion tactical groups, which would be up to 14,000 soldiers.
Ukraine says this means that when you add the forces that were conducting exercises, Russia now has about 40,000 troops on the eastern border and about 40,000 in Crimea.
Russia also announced that it had moved a force of ten artillery boats and landing craft to the Black Sea.
Ukraine's armed forces maintain 255,000 troops, making it the third largest force in Europe, after Russia and France.
Most of Ukraine's warplanes, helicopters, tanks and ships were inherited from the Soviet Union, but due to economic issues, many of these outdated war machines are not functional.