immediately. joining us now, nbc news foreign correspondent, janis mackey frayer live from beijing. janis. we ve seen the u.s. strengthening its military position around the korean peninsula with the return of uss ronald reagan air craft carrier strike group carrying out military drills with japan and south korea. trilateral exercises for the next couple of days. at the same time, moving in new equipment to south korea for the t.a.d. missile system, that will be something a thorn in the side, less for north korea than for china. all of this coming just a day after north korean war planes were carrying out firing drills along the border, forcing south korea to send up 30 aircraft in response, so we re seeing this ramping up that has been familiar territory here.
escalation? reporter: well, there have been six missile launches in the past 12 days by north korea and we saw that escalation this afternoon when we learned that these north korean warplanes were flying close to the border. they were doing air-to-surface firing drills and acting so provocative that south korea sent up 30 aircraft at their response. we re seeing the u.s. now holding trilateral military exercises with south korea and japan, the strike group moving back into the waters around the korean peninsula. we re seeing that escalation prompted earlier this week that went clear over japan, flying further than any north korean missile had flown before. but the concern now is not only
demands. it fail discuss nato troops in the region. that s been a nonstarter. they did offer a diplomatic path out of the crisis. and here in the eastern ukraine on the front lines. reporter: we are back in the trenches in far eastern ukraine. and you could see in some places they are very narrow but they extend for miles. ukrainian. troops are bracing for the worst. the soldiers say they re ready for anything as the prospect of a russian invasion appears to be increasing. russia s military build up is accelerating. disguised, u.s. officials say, by military exercises in the black sea. these firing drills in the baltic sea and along three sides of the ukrainian border, including these forces in new satellite images. and joining me now the former u.s. ambassador to ukraine, peter baker the the new york
separatists backed by moscow have been fighting here for eight years leaving villages largely empty, destroyed and lifeless. ukrainians call these ghost villages, and the only sound you hear are all the stray dogs that have moved in. but they fear what could be coming may be far worse. russia s military buildup is accelerating, disguised u.s. officials say, military exercises in the black sea, these firing drills in the baltic sea, and along three sides of the ukrainian border including these forces in new satellite images. a western intelligence official tells nbc news russia has deployed up to 120,000 troops in 60 battalion technical groups with more, maybe many more, on the way. the buildup possibly reaching 100 battalion groups in the next two to three weeks, enough, they estimate, for a total invasion
may have had with gyath. jenna: thank you. jon: fox news alert. volatile crisis in ukraine taking another dangerous turn. russian troops now poised for a large scale air defense exercise any day now including live firing drills. moscow also tightening its grip on crimea with the pentagon estimating 20,000 russian troops are on the ground there now. jennifer is live at the pentagon where they re keeping an eye on all of this. new reports out of crimea suggest russian troops fired shots this morning with automatic rifles as they tried to take oef a naval post today. russian troops removing vehicles from that base. not believe that crimea will slip out of russia s hands. you think crimea is gone.