Is Putin’s regime planning a new war in Europe?
The news channel “Bloomberg” reports and refers to high-ranking European and American security officials. “The US is raising the alarm among its allies of the European Union that Russia may be considering a possible invasion of Ukraine,” the broadcaster reported yesterday evening.
A warning that was apparently punctured on the news site because of its urgency.
Because at the same time the US is officially warning Russia of a “serious mistake” in Ukraine. There are “unusual” activities of the Russian army to be observed, said Pentagon spokesman John Kirby on Wednesday. “We call on Russia to make its intentions clear and to adhere to the Minsk agreements.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also expressed concern about Moscow’s actions during a visit by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitri Kuleba to Washington. He warned Russia against making a “serious mistake” in the conflict with Ukraine, as it did when it annexed Crimea in 2014. Blinken reiterated the US support for the “sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity” of Ukraine.
Ukraine sends troops to the border
So far, it seems unclear from where exactly an attack by Putin and possibly also by his ally Lukashenko could occur. In any case, Ukraine responded to the threat on Thursday.
They sent thousands of troops towards the border with Belarus. Primarily to ward off possible border crossings by dictator Lukashenko’s smuggled refugees. But – with a view to the deployment of troops on the Belarusian-Polish border – presumably also to prevent military provocations from Putin and Lukashenko.
“In addition, around 8,500 military service personnel and police officers will be called in,” Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi announced on Thursday in the western Ukrainian region of Volhynia.
Around 3,000 border guards, 2,000 national guards and 2,000 police officers are to be relocated to the 1,000-kilometer-long Ukrainian-Belarusian border. In addition, the sometimes impassable forest and swamp areas are to be monitored from the air with 15 helicopters, among other things.
Moscow: Will not attack Ukraine. Unless …
Putin’s regime, meanwhile, responded to the US warning.
When asked about a Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russia’s Deputy Representative to the United Nations, Dmitry Polyansky, lied that they had “never planned, never done it” and would “never do it”, only to immediately restrict it: “It unless we are provoked by Ukraine or someone else and the national sovereignty of Russia is threatened. “
Thereupon the Russian declared that, according to Russia, all these provocations, which would allegedly justify a possible attack on the neighboring country, have already been presented! Polyansky tellingly: “There are a lot of threats from Ukraine and don’t forget that the American warships are operating very closely around the Black Sea.”
► Clear text: no denial of the US warning of a renewed invasion of Ukraine after Putin’s war adventures in 2014 (Crimea) and 2015 (Donbass) and the occupation of large parts of Ukraine, which continues to this day.
For months, Russia’s military has been gathering troops on the border with Ukraine, and since April has set up huge camps with up to 1,000 military vehicles just a few kilometers from the border. Moscow does not reveal what the tanks, rocket launchers, armored vehicles and so on are parked there for.
Belarus and Russia start military exercise near Poland
Meanwhile, there is another escalation on the Belarusian-Polish border: On Friday morning, Russia and Belarus announced the start of a joint military exercise near Poland.
A “joint tactical battalion group” with paratroopers from both countries is holding exercises in the Grodno region in western Belarus, the Belarusian Defense Ministry announced on Telegram on Friday. The regime justified the move with the “increase in military activity” near the Belarusian border.
Photo: Ministry of Defense of Belarus
“data-zoom-src =” https://bilder.bild.de/fotos/fallschirmjaeger-landen-fuer-eine-gemeinsame-russisch-belarussische-uebung-in-der-region-grodno-im-west-74eacc7df22e40fea0b773d1c4a12521- 78225730 / Bild / 5.bild.jpg “/> Paratroopers land for a joint Russian-Belarusian exercise in the Grodno region in western Belarus Photo: Ministry of Defense of Belarus
According to Mink, Russian Il-76 military aircraft and Belarusian military helicopters are also involved in the exercises. According to Russian news agencies, the Ministry of Defense in Moscow said it was a surprise mission to “check the combat readiness” of the troops.
▶ ︎ On Wednesday and Thursday, Putin had already sent two Tupolev TU-22M nuclear-capable medium-range bombers into the airspace of Belarus – to “patrol the skies”, so the reasoning, because Minsk and Moscow “are concerned about NATO armament Borders of the Union state “.
Photo: AFP / Getty Images
“data-zoom-src =” https://bilder.bild.de/fotos/ein-russischer-panzer-mit-flagge-der-fiktiven-volksrepublik-lugansk-faehrt-im-maerz-2015-durch-die- b-f6b7b75ed4fa4f0a8d9e1970e3dfeb3d-78224110 / image / 6.image.jpg “/> A Russian tank with the flag of the fictitious “People’s Republic of Lugansk” drives through occupied eastern Ukraine in March 2015Photo: AFP / Getty Images