Vladimir Putin could wait until after the Winter Olympics in Beijing to invade Ukraine.
Ukrainian Lieutenant-General Oleksandr Pavliuk said it's expected Russia will halt any decisive action until February 20 when the Games are over for its assault.
That way it avoids tarnishing the sporting event and upsetting hosts China, who Putin is keen to have on board.
And the general - head of the Joint Forces Operation in eastern Ukraine - says his countrymen and women are ready for the fight, with the Kremlin expected to pull its troops out following the "first big losses".
It comes as elite Russian paratroopers were seen being moved close to the Ukrainian border amid fears of a military operation to occupy the nation's capital Kiev.
A train with the Russian crack troops and their equipment was spotted moving west through the Bryansk region, which borders both Ukraine and Belarus, towards the potential war zone.
Nearly 130,000 military personnel have already been dispatched by Moscow to the north and east of their former Soviet allies.
Speaking over the weekend, Pavliuk said he recognises Ukraine may be outnumbered, both in troops and in modern weaponry - Putin has an arsenal of 'war toys' at his disposal - but it is ready.
The general said half a million Ukrainians have already been through war and lost loved ones and their homes.
"They are ready to tear apart Russians with their bare hands," he said.
“If our intelligence manages to predict the direction of the main Russian hit, after the first big losses they won’t go further,” he said, speaking to the Times at a military base in Popasna, near the front line.
“Putin realises that after heavy casualties his army may stop by itself. You cannot trust intuition in this. It is about cold calculation,” he added.
Pavliuk, 52, commands a combined arms group of 52,000 personnel on the front line in eastern Ukraine where the Russian hammer is expected to fall.
In 1987 he joined the Soviet armed forces, training as a tank commander.
Years later he led a brigade of Ukrainian soldiers against Russian airborne troops in the battle of Luhansk airport in 2014.
With activity on the border increasing, the general said February 20 has been noted as a potential start date.
That date also marks the end of the joint RussianBelarus exercise on Ukraine’s border.
Pavliuk suggested Russia could look to attack from several directions and capture eight key regions in the east of the country leaving it dependent on the Kremlin's whim.
Boris Johnson has warned any invasion would be a "disastrous step" and a "painful, violent and bloody business".
He said the intelligence around the situation was "gloomy" but war was not inevitable.
Nato has confirmed it is sending additional ships and fighter jets in response to the build-up of troops from the Kremlin.
It has also put extra troops on standby.
Downing Street has said British combat troops would not be used to defend Ukraine.
The PM's official spokesman said there were "further signs of Russian aggression" on the country's border and that "the West is - we are - ready to act if needed".
