There has been a lot of tension in Ukrainian society in recent months, given daily media reports of possible Russian aggression. Pictured: Soldiers of the Ukrainian army patrol near the city of Avdijivka in the Donetsk region.
Photo: Maksim Levin / REUTERS / SCANPIX
1:55 PM, February 11, 2022
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Russia is preparing for new army maneuvers on Ukraine’s borders on Friday, while diplomatic talks between the Kremlin and Europe continue, which is alarmed by the threat of a new invasion of Ukraine.
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Russia’s defense ministry said 400 soldiers would take part in “tactical exercises” on Friday in the Rostov region bordering Ukraine.
The exercise will involve 70 military vehicles, tanks, grenade launchers and drones, the ministry said, adding that the soldiers would handle “combat operations”.
In a separate statement, the ministry said the Black Sea Fleet was also conducting maneuvers, including training, to “search for and destroy the conditional enemy ships.”
The maneuvers are part of the “Black Sea Fleet Battle Curriculum”.
In 2014, Russia occupied and annexed the Ukrainian-owned Crimean peninsula and made its Black Sea Fleet a strategic priority.
At the same time, Moscow is also conducting maneuvers with munitions in Belarus, bordering Ukraine and several European Union countries.
NATO has stated that the deployment of Russian missiles, heavy weapons and machine guns in Belarus is a “dangerous moment” for Europe.
The maneuvers in Belarus will continue until February 20.
Western leaders are visiting Moscow in an effort to maintain open channels of communication, and British Defense Secretary Ben Wolless will arrive in the Russian capital on Friday.
French President Emanuel Macron had talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin this week.
Russia has concentrated a troop of 100,000 men on Ukraine’s borders, raising concerns about a new invasion of a neighboring country.
Putin has threatened that if Moscow does not receive the “security guarantees” it has requested, it will have to implement “military technical measures”.
At a video summit on December 7, US President Joe Biden warned Putin that the United States would impose unprecedented sanctions on Russia if it attacked Ukraine.
On Wednesday, Macron informed Baiden about his talks with Russian and Ukrainian leaders this week.
French and Russian officials have issued cautiously optimistic statements following the talks, although the Kremlin is sending out mixed signals and continuing to increase its military presence at Ukraine’s sea and land borders.
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