Full-scale ground assault against Ukraine likely to begin within hours, U.S. official says

A U.S. official said Wednesday night that the explosions being reported in multiple Ukrainian cities are preliminary bombardments to be followed by a full-scale ground assault, Fox News correspondent Jennifer Griffin reports.
"It's begun," the unidentified official told Griffin, who posted on Twitter that explosions have been heard in the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Odessa, and Mariupol. Griffin also wrote that the official told her the Russian ground attack would likely commence after several hours of bombardment and include "all of the full forces Putin has arrayed."
Recent estimates put the number of Russian troops deployed along Ukraine's border at 190,000.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Journalist Babak Taghvaee tweeted that Russia's navy has attacked the port of Odessa and posted a video purportedly showing Russian artillery and rocket barrages directed against the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in a speech early Thursday that he has authorized a military operation in Ukraine after the two Russian-aligned breakaway republics in eastern Ukraine asked him to intervene against the Ukrainian military.
Fighting between separatists and Ukrainian government forces has killed some 14,000 people since it began in 2014. Putin said Russia will now put a final end to that conflict.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Modern Age, The American Conservative, The Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.
-
5 biting editorial cartoons about 'Alligator Alcatraz'
Cartoons Artists take on dangerous green things, historical precedent, and more
-
A journey into the deep past on beautiful Arran
The Week Recommends New Unesco Global Geopark played a 'key role' in the birth of modern geological science
-
China's London super-embassy
The Explainer The People's Republic wants to build a massive new embassy in central London, and a lot of people aren't happy about it
-
Ottawa Treaty: why are Russia's neighbours leaving anti-landmine agreement?
Today's Big Question Ukraine to follow Poland, Finland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia as Nato looks to build a new ‘Iron Curtain' of millions of landmines
-
How drone warfare works
The Explainer From Ukraine to Iran, it has become clear that unmanned aircraft are rapidly revolutionising modern warfare
-
How long can Nato keep Donald Trump happy?
Today's Big Question Military alliance pulls out all the stops to woo US president on his peacemaker victory lap
-
How far would Russia go for Iran?
Today's Big Question US air strikes represent an 'embarrassment, provocation and opportunity' all rolled into one for Vladimir Putin
-
Are the UK and Russia already at war?
Today's Big Question Moscow has long been on a 'menacing' war footing with London, says leading UK defence adviser
-
Is UK's new defence plan transformational or too little, too late?
Today's Big Question Labour's 10-year strategy 'an exercise in tightly bounded ambition' already 'overshadowed by a row over money'
-
How will the MoD's new cyber command unit work?
Today's Big Question Defence secretary outlines plans to combat 'intensifying' threat of cyberattacks from hostile states such as Russia
-
What are the different types of nuclear weapons?
The Explainer Speculation mounts that post-war taboo on nuclear weapons could soon be shattered by use of 'battlefield' missiles