Former British intelligence chief: Putin is in a difficult situation and cannot back down

 The former head of the British Foreign Intelligence Service "MI6" said that the crisis between Russia and the West over Ukraine is getting more serious at a time when it is difficult for Moscow to ease the existing tension.

"It's hard to see how he (Russian President Vladimir Putin) can avoid having to pursue (escalation) to some extent," Sir Alex Young said.

 Young said it was difficult for the Russian president to back down from the expectations he had created about the possibility of his country invading its pro-Western neighbour, given his refusal to accept Ukraine's accession to NATO.

 Yesterday, the Pentagon announced that a force of 8,500 US soldiers had been placed on "high alert" in anticipation of its possible deployment to reinforce any activation of the NATO intervention force in response to the Ukraine crisis.

 Russia has amassed 100,000 soldiers near the Ukrainian border, which prompted warnings from Western powers.

 Russian news agencies reported that on Tuesday, the Russian armed forces launched a new series of maneuvers near Ukraine and in the Crimea, which it annexed in 2015, with exercises involving 6,000 fighters, combat aircraft and bombers.

 British Defense Secretary James Hebby revealed intelligence indicating that Russia had already sent an advanced force to Ukraine.

"We have learned of a large number of individuals who have been assessed as being associated with the operations of the Russian military advanced force currently in Ukraine," he wrote in The Sun.

 According to Young, Putin rejected "the only reasonable compromise to the crisis," which at this point is unleashing the "law of random consequences." "At the moment, I can't see a scenario in which he could back down in a way that satisfies the expectations he created," he added.

 The former Chief of the British Army's General Staff, General Lord Dannatt, believes that "the Russians would suffer greatly if they invaded Ukraine".

 "The Ukrainians are a proud people and their military has been developing in leaps and bounds in the past few years, backed to a reasonable degree by Western equipment and training," he told BBC radio.

 He added, "There will be huge costs for the Russians if they decide to go to Ukraine, even if only part of Ukraine," which will affect Putin's international popularity.