According to Danilov, for the Ukrainian authorities the decision to launch a military operation in Donbass is unacceptable, since it would entail a massive increase in the number of civilian casualties.
He said that Ukraine would like negotiations and the withdrawal of its troops by Russia, but “Putin does not want that.”
At a press conference on December 23, Putin said that the implementation of the Minsk agreements is the only way to resolve the conflict in Donbass, but Ukraine allegedly “does not want to fulfill” them.
“It seems that preparing the third military operation… And we are warned in advance: “Do not interfere, do not protect these people, there will be sanctions,” the Russian president said.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine reported that Putin’s statement not true.
Straightaway after the annexation of Crimea in 2014, Russia launched an armed aggression in eastern Ukraine. The fighting is between the Ukrainian Armed Forces on the one hand and the Russian army and Russian-backed militants who control parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions on the other. Officially, the Russian Federation does not recognize its invasion of Ukraine, despite the facts and evidence presented by Ukraine.
Spring Russia built up troops near the border with Ukraine and in the occupied Crimea. In late October, American media began reporting that Russia pulls up troops again to the border with Ukraine.
On November 21, the head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense Kirill Budanov said that RF prepares for an attack on Ukraine in late January or early February, and the attack will be “much more destructive than any before.” Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danilov said on December 22 that in the zone 200 km from the country’s border there are 122 thousand Russian military.
In the Kremlin called the messages about the preparation of the invasion “stuffing”, said that “Russia is not going to attack anyone and is not hatching any aggressive plans,” and accused Kiev of preparing to aggression “against” LPR “and” DPR “. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine denied the disinformation of the Russian Federation about the alleged preparation for a military attack in Donbass.
The United States and NATO have repeatedly called on Russia to de-escalate the stress at the border.
Putin on December 23 at the annual press conference when asked, will Russia attack Ukraine, said that Moscow’s actions “will not depend on progress of negotiations [о продвижении НАТО на восток], but from the unconditional provision of Russia’s security today and in the historical perspective. “
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