The journalist asked if the build-up of Russian troops was continuing, “even despite Biden’s conversation with Putin,” and the adviser to the head of the OP replied: “It is continuing.”
According to him, the number of Russian troops near Ukraine is “already greater” than it was in the spring.
“I think that they will be ready before the New Year. That is, the group will be fully formed and ready for use. How long it will stay in the temporarily equipped camps in winter is a big question. It’s cold there, of course,” Arestovich explained.
Context:
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.
In 2021, the Russian-Ukrainian conflict escalated. RF at the end of March began build up troops near the border with Ukraine and in the occupied Crimea. At the end of October, the American media began to report again that Russia was pulling up troops 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.” According to him, about 92 thousand Russian military personnel are concentrated near the Ukrainian border.
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-escalation of stress at the border.
December 7 Putin and Biden had a two hour conversation by video link. The White House said Biden had expressed “deep concern” for the United States and its European allies over the Russian build-up of forces around Ukraine. Biden warned Putin about “decisive economic and other measures” in the event of an invasion of Ukraine.
During the conversation, Putin said that NATO attempts to “develop” the territory Ukraine. “Therefore, Russia is seriously interested in obtaining reliable, legally fixed guarantees, excluding NATO’s eastward expansion and the deployment of offensive strike weapons systems in states adjacent to Russia, “he said. The White House noted that Biden did not make concessions to the Russian side regarding the possible entry of Ukraine into NATO.
According to Bloomberg, the Biden administration will seek from Germany gas pipeline stops Nord Stream 2, which is supposed to connect Russia and Germany along the bottom of the Baltic Sea, bypassing Ukraine, if Putin decides to military invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine.
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