Russia has amassed greater than 130,000 troops close to Ukraine’s border in latest weeks, in accordance with US estimates, elevating fears from Western and Ukrainian intelligence officers that an invasion may very well be imminent.
“Models of the Southern and Western navy districts, having accomplished their duties, have already begun loading onto rail and street transport and right this moment they’ll start transferring to their navy garrisons. Particular person items will march on their very own as a part of navy columns,” Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov mentioned in a press release posted on Fb.
Konashenkov added, nevertheless, that large-scale drills continued.
“Within the armed forces of the Russian Federation, a posh of large-scale operational coaching measures by the forces continues, with nearly all navy districts, fleets and airborne troops collaborating in them,” he mentioned. “As a part of the check of the response forces of the Union State, a joint Russian-Belarusian train ‘Allied Resolve-2022’ is being held on the territory of the Republic of Belarus.”
ΩIn addition, Konashenkov mentioned a collection of naval drills — involving floor ships, submarines and naval aviation — was underway each in “operationally necessary areas of the world’s oceans” and within the waters adjoining to the territory of Russia.
“Workout routines are persevering with with formations and navy items at different coaching grounds on the territory of the Russian Federation,” he mentioned. “Various fight coaching measures, together with workout routines, have been carried out in accordance with the plan.”
Moscow’s announcement, which was met with skepticism from Ukrainian officers, got here a day after Russian Overseas Minister Sergey Lavrov mentioned there was nonetheless room for a diplomatic resolution to the disaster.
Seated on the reverse finish of a really lengthy desk, Lavrov responded: “If we’re able to hearken to some counter-proposals, it appears to me that our potentialities are removed from being exhausted.”
Ukrainian Overseas Minister Dmytro Kuleba expressed skepticism concerning the Russian troop announcement at a information convention in Kyiv on Tuesday.
“Varied statements are continually being created from the Russian Federation, so we have already got a rule: ‘Don’t hear after which imagine. However do see after which imagine,'” Kuleba mentioned. “Once we see the withdrawal, then we’ll imagine in de-escalation.”
In the meantime, the flurry of high-profile diplomacy continued Tuesday with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz turning into the newest chief to journey to Moscow for talks
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov acknowledged the return of some Russian troops to their bases, noting throughout a information briefing on Tuesday that this was a “regular course of” after the completion of navy workout routines.
However whereas the Kremlin was speaking about troops returning house, satellite tv for pc photographs launched by Maxar Applied sciences revealed contemporary indicators of a Russian buildup.
An evaluation of the pictures confirmed that no less than 60 helicopters had landed inside the previous few days at a beforehand vacant airbase in Russian-occupied Crimea.
The helicopters are a combination of transport and assault plane. Archival satellite tv for pc imagery reviewed by CNN signifies the bottom at Donuzlav Lake on the northwest coast of Crimea — territory which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014 — has been vacant since no less than 2003.
CNN’s Uliana Pavlova and Nathan Hodge reported from Moscow, whereas CNN’s Ivana Kottasová, Tim Lister and Olga Voytovich reported from Kyiv.
