According to a senior U.S. official Wednesday, Russia has deployed around 7,000 more soldiers to the border with Ukraine, and reported by multiple news outlets.  This report comes just days after Moscow claimed it was reducing its troop presence.

According to NBC News, the official said, “We now know it was false.””‹ Despite the assurances from the Kremlin that Russian forces were being pulled back from the Ukrainian border, they are actually increasing their troops.

The Biden administration warned last week that a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine could begin as early as today (Wednesday), a date that Russia marked with its purported withdrawal of some forces.

Per CNN, the official said, “Every indication we have now is they mean only to publicly offer to talk, and make claims about de-escalation, while privately mobilizing for war.”

The reported military strengthening comes even as Russian President Vladimir Putin kept the door open for a potential peaceful end to the standoff, having previously said that Russia decided to “partially pull back troops” from the border. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov also weighed in, stating during a meeting with Putin on Monday that diplomatic talks “can’t go on indefinitely, but I would suggest to continue and expand them at this stage.”

Russia has now stationed more than 150,000 troops along the border with Ukraine. In 2014, Moscow seized part of the country, Crimea, after Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych fled to Russia in the face of mass protests. Russia has also backed separatists in the east of the country, claiming it is doing so to protect Russian speakers.

AS a precaution, the Pentagon has continued to send forces to surrounding countries should Russia strike. This includes an additional 3,000 U.S. troops who were sent to neighboring Poland last week to assist with NATO defenses.

While Biden has previous reiterated that he did not intend to send American soldiers into Ukrainian territory, Biden has stated that “the United States will defend every inch of NATO territory with the full force of American power.”

“An attack against one NATO country is an attack against all of us,” Biden added. The president continued by promising that the U.S. would give diplomatic solutions “every chance.”

As Russia’s intentions remain unclear to foreign officials, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has also shot down claims of a Russian withdrawal, led his nation in a “Day of National Unity” on Wednesday. This included urging Ukrainians to take to the streets with national flags in a show of patriotism against Russia.

“We are united by a desire to live happily in peace,” Zelenskyy said during a national address. “We can defend our home only if we stay united.”