According to the American TV channel CNN, CIA Director William Burns visited Moscow on behalf of the head of the White House Joe Biden a few days ago in order to warn the Kremlin that the United States is closely monitoring the troop build-up near the Ukrainian border, and with the intention of determining the motives for Russia’s actions. In an article published on the channel’s website on Friday, November 5, it is indicated with reference to informed sources that at meetings with high-ranking Russian officials, the head of the CIA tried to warn Russia against plans to conduct any offensive operations.
Noting that the United States is increasingly concerned about “the irregular movement of Russian troops and equipment near Ukraine’s northern border,” CNN reports that “the Biden administration has intensified its efforts in recent days to de-escalate growing tensions between Moscow and Kiev.” According to the interlocutors of the publication, after meetings in Russia, Burns held a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an attempt to defuse these tensions. A senior State Department official was dispatched to Kiev on November 4 to support these efforts.
RF can use gas as a lever of pressure
According to CNN, Burns also expressed concern that Moscow is close to using gas exports as leverage on Ukraine and other European countries, as they are likely to face a new energy crisis in the winter.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said on November 5 that the “scale” and “size of the units we see” from Russia was “unusual”.
On November 1, Politico magazine published satellite images showing, as noted in the publication, that Russia is transferring troops and military equipment to the border with Ukraine. The photographs taken by Maxar Technologies show armored vehicles and artillery pieces near Yelnya.
Two days earlier, The Washington Post wrote about a new build-up of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine, noting that Moscow’s actions caused concern in the United States and Europe.
In response to these publications, the press secretary of the Russian president Dmitry Peskov said that the movement of Russian military equipment across Russia is an exclusively internal affair of the Russian Federation, and the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova called the reports of the movement of Russian troops to the Ukrainian border “an informational burst of truth.”
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Time.news of a new aggravation of the conflict in Donbass
Checking weapons systems
So far, artillery fire on both sides of the Russian-Ukrainian border is being conducted for testing purposes. According to official figures, the troops are checking the combat readiness of their weapons systems. In a video released by the Russian Defense Ministry, a Russian self-propelled howitzer fires.
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Time.news of a new aggravation of the conflict in Donbass
West expresses support for Ukraine
The West assures Kiev of its solidarity. In his first telephone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart, US President Joe Biden reiterated to Volodymyr Zelenskiy “the unwavering support of the United States for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression in Donbas and Crimea.” Representatives of NATO and the EU made similar statements.
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Time.news of a new aggravation of the conflict in Donbass
Troops are pulling up to Donbass
In early March, Russia began to strengthen its military presence on the border with Ukraine. Moscow said that in this way it responds to Kiev’s provocations aimed at escalating the conflict in Donbass. According to observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), there were no provocations.
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Time.news of a new aggravation of the conflict in Donbass
American destroyers are already in the Black Sea
The US, NATO and the EU have pledged support to Ukraine in protecting its territorial integrity. On April 9, Ankara reported that the United States had already announced at the end of March the passage of two of its warships through the Bosphorus to the Black Sea. The picture shows one of two American destroyers that passed through the strait towards the Black Sea on 20 March.
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Time.news of a new aggravation of the conflict in Donbass
A war that has been going on for seven years
The conflict in eastern Ukraine erupted in early 2014, when pro-Russian separatists took control of parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine. According to the authorities in Kiev and their Western allies, the Kremlin is helping the separatists with illegal supply of weapons and the dispatch of mercenaries. Since then, the parties to the conflict have repeatedly agreed on a ceasefire, but these agreements have been constantly violated.
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Time.news of a new aggravation of the conflict in Donbass
Bombed and destroyed
This man is standing on the ruins of his house, located on the territory of the self-proclaimed “DPR”. The house was destroyed during the fighting between the separatists and the Ukrainian army. They involve soldiers, mercenaries, separatists and paramilitary units. But the fighting has affected civilians again and again. At the beginning of 2019, according to the UN, about 3,300 civilians were killed in the Donbas.
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Time.news of a new aggravation of the conflict in Donbass
Clashes and deaths despite the truce
In total, since 2014, more than 13,000 people have died as a result of the fighting in Donbass. According to the OSCE, the current ceasefire, in effect since July 2020, has been relatively stable. However, shelling has recently become more frequent. In recent days, at least five Ukrainian soldiers and a five-year-old boy have been killed on the territory of the “DPR”. Kiev denies any involvement in his death.
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Time.news of a new aggravation of the conflict in Donbass
Zelensky presented awards to Ukrainian soldiers
On April 8, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy visited Donbass and tried to sort out the situation on the spot. He awarded Ukrainian soldiers who distinguished themselves in their service at the front. And on April 10, Zelensky will meet with Turkish President Erdogan. Ukrainian media report that Zelensky is also scheduled to meet with French President Macron.
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Time.news of a new aggravation of the conflict in Donbass
Russian citizenship under a simplified procedure
In 2019, Russia began to issue citizenship to residents of the “DPR” / “LPR” using a simplified procedure. According to various sources, about 600 thousand people with Russian citizenship now live there. Moscow has already announced that Russia will take all the necessary measures to protect them. A spokeswoman for the US President said the Russian military presence on the border with Ukraine is now the largest since 2014.
By Jan Walter, Kevin Mertens
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