As the author of the report, Andrew Bowen, believes, Moscow can prepare for a possible future conflict with Kiev, and he mentions the possibility of an operation in response to an attempt by the Ukrainian authorities to regain control over the self-proclaimed republics of Donbass.

"Placing units and equipment closer to the Ukrainian border will allow Russia to reduce the time it takes to mobilize if it decides to switch to offensive operations or respond to Ukraine's efforts to return Donbass by military means," the article says.

The decision to redeploy the military closer to the border may also be associated with a possible conflict in Belarus, the Research Service analyst believes, without disclosing the details of this thesis.

In addition, Bowen suggests that the movement of troops can be used by Moscow to force Kiev to negotiate a diplomatic solution to the situation in Donbas on favorable terms for Russia.

In addition, what is happening may turn out to be a response to what Moscow "sees as an increase in the presence of the United States and NATO in the Black Sea, as well as military and political assistance to Ukraine," the American expert notes.

The Russian authorities have repeatedly denied statements about the alleged preparation for an "invasion".

Thus, the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova called such messages a mythologeme.

On November 24, Konstantin Gavrilov, head of the Russian delegation to the Vienna talks on military security and arms control, said there was no evidence of a concentration of troops on the border with Ukraine.

In turn, the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov, on the eve of the conversation between Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, said in an interview with RT that aggressive rhetoric against Moscow has been heard recently.

“Indeed, the rhetoric sounds very aggressive from the American side and from the European capitals towards us.

We see numerous ducks thrown about the allegedly planned Russian aggression against Ukraine.

At the same time, we do not hear a single word addressed to Ukraine, not a single warning addressed to Kiev, so that they would not even think of starting a military settlement of the situation in the southeast, ”Peskov said.