Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is “very concerned” about the potential for a Russian incursion into sovereign Ukrainian territory. He said this during the Reagan National Defense Forum on Saturday.

Axar.az reports that “They’ve invaded before, and as we look at the numbers of forces that are in the border region, as we look at some of the things that are occurring in the information space, as we look at what’s going on in the cyber domain, it really raises our concern. We remain focused on this. We remain committed to helping Ukraine defend its sovereign territory,” Austin said.

US intelligence sources told on Friday that Russia is planning a military offensive against Ukraine as soon as early 2022, with about 175,000 troops involved. One source said the plans include “extensive movement of 100 battalion tactical groups with an estimated 175,000 personnel, along with armor, artillery, and equipment.”

Russia has denied the allegations, calling the reports “malicious propaganda.”