Russia Signaled The War In Ukraine Years Before 2022

The war in Ukraine was not a surprise.
Russia had been preparing for it for at least three years.
But the world largely ignored the warning signs.

In 2019, Russia began rapidly increasing its gold reserves. In 2020, it sharply reduced its exposure to the U.S. dollar in its foreign reserves. By the end of 2021, just two months before the invasion, Russia’s total reserves reached a record high of six hundred and forty billion dollars.

At the same time, Russia signed long term energy contracts with China, expanded pipelines toward Asia, and steadily reduced its dependence on Europe.

On the ground, it moved ammunition depots, fuel supplies, and logistics bases closer to the Ukrainian border. In the media, it began portraying Ukraine as a fascist state.

The war in Ukraine was not unexpected. It had been carefully prepared for, years in advance.