British military intelligence has found that Russia allegedly continues to increase its military presence on the border with Ukraine, contrary to statements. This was announced on Wednesday, February 16, said the head of the department, Lieutenant General Jim Hockenhull.
“We see no evidence that Russia is withdrawing troops from the Ukrainian border. Contrary to its claims, Russia continues to build up its military capabilities near the border of Ukraine, this includes positions for additional armored vehicles, as well as helicopters and field hospitals, which are heading towards the Ukrainian border,” he said.
Hockenhull stressed that Russia has sufficient military power.
Earlier Wednesday, U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price said the “window” for diplomacy with Russia would be open until the situation escalated. Now Washington does not see Russia’s steps to de-escalate, he said.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, in turn, said that at the moment, Russia is conducting a small rotation of its troops on the border with Ukraine, while the withdrawal of units is not carried out.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov criticized Western countries who called for checking the withdrawal of the Russian Armed Forces after the end of joint exercises with Belarus. The minister called such statements a lack of education.
On the same day, political scientist Alexander Asafov noted that the statements of Western politicians about the allegedly possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as the publication by foreign intelligence services and foreign media of the dates of the “attack” were conceived as an external pressure loop on the course of negotiations between the Russian Federation and NATO, the United States and EU members on security.
According to the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov, the nature of the hysteria of the Western media about the alleged Russian invasion of Ukraine shows that the climax is still far away. The Kremlin spokesman noted that “remission will not come immediately and Russia needs to be patient.”
The return to the places of permanent deployment of the units of the Southern and Western military districts became known on February 15. The joint Russian-Belarusian exercise “Allied Resolve – 2022” started on February 10. They are aimed at testing the response forces of the Union State. The authorities have repeatedly stressed that the maneuvers are purely defensive in nature and do not threaten anyone.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
