'Possible Russian invasion to render 5M Ukrainians refugees'

By Talha Yavuz

KYIV, Ukraine (AA) – Five million Ukrainians may become refugees in the wake of possible Russian invasion, Ukraine's defense minister said on Tuesday.

In an interview with the news outlet Politico, Oleksiy Reznikov said that since the recent virtual meeting between US President Joe Biden and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Russia has sent even more troops to Ukraine's borders.

Saying that there are about 100,000 Russian troops stationed on the Ukrainian borders, Reznikov argued that the invasion attempt would be a disaster for both sides.

He said 15 nuclear power plants in the country would also be in danger in case of an attack.

Reznikov said Ukraine is not the last target for Putin, claiming the war could spread to Europe.

Moscow has recently amassed tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine's border, prompting concerns of military action in Ukraine. According to Ukrainian officials, Moscow could trigger a large-scale escalation in January.

In 2014, Moscow began to support separatist forces in eastern Ukraine against the central government, a policy that it has maintained for the past seven years.

* Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev in Ankara