U.S. Believes Russia Added 7,000 Troops Along Ukrainian Border

The U.S. believes that Russia's claims that it is pulling back troops from the Ukrainian border were "false," according to a senior Biden administration official speaking on the condition of anonimity. The official told reporters that Moscow appears to have added 7,000 troops along the border with Ukraine, contrary to its earlier pledges to reduce military presence.

• The CNN cited the official as noting that ""every indication we have now is they mean only to publicly offer to talk, and make claims about de-escalation, while privately mobilizing for war."
• The official did not offer any evidence for their claims, but similar views were circulated by analysts watching satellite imagery and open-source intelligence. Meanwhile, both NATO and Kyiv said Wednesday that they saw no signs of military de-escalation on Russia's part.
• According to the U.S. official, Russia has stepped up its disinformation campaign, spreading false reports of unmarked graves of civillians allegedly killed by the Ukrainian army or unsubstantiated claims that the U.S. and Ukraine were developing biological and chemical weapons.