Ukraine Says Russia Planning Ground Offensive on Kyiv, Chernihiv

Submission Statement: Ukraine has received intelligence that Russia is preparing for a possible new ground offensive toward Kyiv as well as Chernihiv in the nation’s far north. These comments came days after CIA Director John Ratcliffe made a surprise trip to Moscow for meetings with officials there. It was the first known visit by a CIA chief in the Russian capital since Bill Burns traveled to the country in late 2021, in an ultimately failed effort to dissuade President Vladimir Putin from starting a full-scale war against Ukraine

Separately, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Saturday that he’s braced for “Russian provocations” against a member of the NATO alliance, and for Russian escalation in general, citing an assessment from NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. “The next six months will be decisive, and we — as Poland and as NATO — must be prepared for various scenarios,” Tusk said in a post on X.