Regardless of continued assurances from Russian officers that they don't seem to be planning an invasion of Ukraine, American intelligence has reportedly uncovered further Russian stockpiles of conflict supplies, together with blood provides and help automobiles.

In an announcement printed within the influential Russian newspaper Pravda, Overseas Protection Minister Sergey Lavrov mentioned: "There isn't any 'Russian invasion' of Ukraine, which the USA and its allies have been declaring on the official stage since final fall, and it's not deliberate."

"Subsequently, the statements about 'Russia's accountability for the escalation' can solely be considered a part of strain to devalue Russia's proposals for safety ensures," Lavrov continued.

Nevertheless, even with these feedback, in addition to continued assurance from Russian President Vladimir Putin that an invasion shouldn't be imminent, U.S. officers have expressed their doubts on the validity of those statements.

"We see them fly in additional fight and help plane. We see them sharpen their readiness within the Black Sea," U.S. Secretary of Protection Lloyd Austin mentioned on Thursday. "We even see them stocking up their blood provides."

Satellite tv for pc photos additionally reportedly confirmed a variety of housing models and tents for Russian troopers persevering with to be arrange alongside the border.

"I used to be a soldier myself not that way back. I do know firsthand that you do not do these types of issues for no cause," Austin, a former U.S. Military common, mentioned. "And also you actually do not do them when you're on the point of pack up and go dwelling."

"We're nonetheless gathering particulars however we've mentioned for a while that the Russians would possibly do one thing like this with the intention to justify a navy battle," Austin continued.

Ukrainian Tank Exercise
Russia has frequently denied an invasion of Ukraine, regardless of American experiences that the nation is stocking up on blood provides and navy tools close to the Ukrainian border. Right here, a Ukrainian tank will be seen close to the border, conducting live-fire workout routines. Sergey Bobok/Getty

Reuters first reported in January that Russian officers have been planning to extend the variety of blood banks alongside the Ukrainian border. Lloyd's speech appears to be the primary impartial affirmation of that prevalence.

U.S. officers moreover instructed Reuters that medical indicators, akin to a rise in blood provides, are "essential in figuring out whether or not Moscow could be ready to hold out an invasion."

The protection secretary made the feedback throughout a gathering at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, and got here as unconfirmed experiences of shellfire between Russians and Ukrainians made headlines.

Whereas U.S. President Joe Biden has continued to reiterate that American troops won't be deployed on the bottom in Ukraine, he has pledged to offer help to the nation by NATO if wanted.

"America will defend each inch of NATO territory with the complete power of American energy," Biden mentioned throughout a earlier press convention. "An assault in opposition to one NATO nation is an assault in opposition to all of us."

Nevertheless, even with the indicators of an invasion showing to extend, Putin and high Russian officers have continued to claim that this won't happen. The Russian president has beforehand claimed that his nation had determined to "partially pull again troops" from the Ukrainian border.

Regardless of Russian makes an attempt to quell invasion fears, although, further skepticism got here from different U.S. authorities officers, together with Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Throughout a speech Thursday to the United Nations Safety Council, Blinken mentioned: "The assault is deliberate to start. Russian missiles and bombs will drop throughout Ukraine. Communications can be jammed. Cyberattacks will shut down key Ukrainian establishments."

Blinken has beforehand expressed considerations that the U.S. was not seeing a stroll again of troops in the way in which that Russia has claimed.

"We have not seen a pullback," Blinken mentioned earlier this week. "[Putin] can pull the set off. He can pull it immediately. He can pull it tomorrow. He can pull it subsequent week. The forces are there if he needs to resume aggression in opposition to Ukraine."

Newsweek has reached out to the White Home and the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C. for remark.

Replace 02/17/2022, 7:30 p.m. ET: This story has been up to date with further data.