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MOSCOW, KOMPAS.com – Russia send troops in unspecified numbers from the country’s far east to Belarus for major war exercises, officials said Tuesday (18/1/2022).
This troop deployment will increase the presence military Russia near Ukraine amid Western fears of an invasion plan.
Also read: Europe on the brink of war due to the Russo-Ukrainian conflict
Amid escalating tensions, the White House warned that Russia could strike its neighbor at “any point”. Meanwhile the UK has sent a number of anti-tank weapons to Ukraine.
Deputy Minister Defense Russia’s Alexander Fomin said the joint exercises with Belarus would involve joint response exercises to external threats.
Ukrainian officials also warned that Russia could launch an attack on Ukraine from several directions, including from its ally Belarus.
The United States once again emphasized its concerns Tuesday, with White House press secretary Jen Psaki describing the move by Russian troops to Belarus as part of a “very dangerous situation.”
“We are now at a stage where Russia can launch an attack on Ukraine at any time,” he said AP.
A series of talks last week between Russia, the US and NATO failed to quell tensions in Ukraine.
Foreign Minister Antony Blinken will meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Geneva on Friday (21/1/2022) in another attempt to defuse the crisis.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday (18/1/2022) that it had received shipments of anti-tank weapons from the UK, noting that they would help “strengthen the defense we.”
Also read: Ukraine’s Massive Cyber-Attack Is Just a Curtain From More Destructive Actions
The movement of Russian troops
Russia has already started moving troops for war games in Belarus. Fomin said it would take until February 9, to fully deploy weapons and personnel for the Allied Resolve 2022 exercise, which is expected to take place February 10-20.
Fomin did not say how many troops would be involved. But he mentioned that Russia would deploy a dozen Su-35 fighter jets, and several air defense units to Belarus.
The deployment will bolster some 100,000 Russian troops with tanks and other heavy weapons, already amassed near Ukraine.
Russia has denied that it intends to attack its neighbour, but demands assurances from the West that NATO will not expand into Ukraine or other ex-Soviet countries or deploy its troops and weapons there.
Washington and its allies vehemently rejected Moscow’s demands during the Russia-US negotiations in Geneva and the related NATO-Russia meeting in Brussels last week.
Also read: Canadian Foreign Minister to Visit Ukraine, Determined to Prevent Russian Aggression
Fomin said the exercises in Belarus, which involved an unspecified number of troops from the District Military Eastern Russia. This reflects the centralized training of all the country’s military potential in the west.
“A situation may arise when the strength and means of regional power groups will not be sufficient to ensure the reliable security of the union state, and we must be prepared to strengthen it,” Fomin said at a meeting with foreign military attaches.
“We have reached an understanding with Belarus that it is necessary to engage all military potentials for mutual defense.”
Belarus’s authoritarian president, Alexander Lukashenko, said joint maneuvers would be carried out on Belarus’ western border and in the south of the country, which borders Ukraine.
Lukashenko, who has grown closer to Russia amid Western sanctions over his government’s crackdown on domestic protests, recently offered to host Russia’s nuclear weapons.
Also read: Russia Doesn’t Want to Attack Ukraine? These are Facts on the Ground that Ukraine Revealed
A senior Biden administration official said the deployment of Russian troops to Belarus raises concerns that Moscow may be planning to deploy troops there to expand Ukraine’s defenses with attacks from the north.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive issues, noted that the move may also indicate Belarus’ willingness to “allow Russian conventional and nuclear forces to be stationed on its territory.”
Amid tensions, Ukraine’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday it was accelerating efforts to establish a reserve battalion, which would allow the rapid deployment of 130,000 recruits to expand the country’s 246,000 military.
The United States and its allies have urged Russia to de-escalate the situation, by recalling troops gathered near Ukraine.
“In recent weeks, more than 100,000 Russian soldiers with tanks and guns have gathered near Ukraine for no understandable reason, and it’s hard not to perceive that as a threat,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said after talks in Moscow with her counterpart from Russia, Lavrov.
Also read: Massive Cyber Attack in Ukraine, Many Government Websites Hacked
Lavrov responded by restating Moscow’s argument that it was free to deploy its troops wherever it deems necessary on its territory.
“We can’t accept claims about our armed forces on our own territory,” Lavrov said. “We’re not threatening anyone, but we’re hearing threats to us.”
Baerbock stressed that the West is ready “for a serious dialogue about mutual agreements and steps to make everyone in Europe safer.”
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