The Kremlin said on Friday that any move by NATO to deploy forces in Ukraine would fuel tensions near the Russian-Ukrainian border, and Russia denied its threat to Ukraine, stressing that its recent military moves are taking place inside its territory.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, in press statements today, that his country may be forced to take additional measures to ensure security in the event that Western countries send forces to Ukraine.
Commenting on the possibility of NATO deploying forces in Ukraine, he added, "There is no doubt that such a scenario would increase tension near the Russian borders."
And Kiev had announced a few days ago that it had monitored the movements of Russian soldiers in the Crimea peninsula in the south of the country, which Moscow annexed to it years ago, as well as Russian military movements in the Donbas region, eastern Ukraine, on the border between the two countries.
• The volume of military equipment transfers between Russia 🇷🇺 and Ukraine 🇺🇦 is very high
• Russian military build-up in the direction of Crimea
• New films about these large movements are released every hour
• The Pentagon: We are concerned about the Russian escalation in eastern Ukraine and we are aware of the movement of Russian forces At the border pic.twitter.com/4zT4FSFDsX
Defense Arab (@defensearab) April 1, 2021
Field moves
In a speech to Parliament on March 30, Ukrainian Chief of Staff Ruslan Khomchak stated that Russia had sent forces to areas near his country's borders under the pretext of conducting military maneuvers, and stated that there are 28 battalions of the Russian armed forces along the common border that includes about 32,000 And 700 soldiers, accusing Moscow of pursuing an "aggressive policy."
The United States has warned Russia against intimidating Ukraine, expressing its concern over Russia's "dangerous escalation" of its "provocative and hostile" moves in eastern Ukraine.
The Foreign Ministry stated that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Foreign Minister Anthony Blinken called their Ukrainian counterparts to confirm Washington's support for Kiev "for the sovereignty of Ukraine and their territorial integrity in the face of the continuing aggression in Donbas and the Crimean peninsula," according to what the US State Department said.
NATO also expressed concern on Thursday about what it said was a large Russian military build-up near eastern Ukraine, after Moscow warned that any major escalation of the conflict in the Donbas region could "destroy" Ukraine.
Moscow novel
On the other hand, Russia yesterday defended its military movements near eastern Ukraine, and directed sharp criticism to Western countries, and the Kremlin made clear that moving forces and military equipment near the border with Ukraine aims to ensure Russia's security, and does not pose any threat to anyone.
The Kremlin added, "Russia is taking measures to ensure the security of its borders along the NATO line of activities."
From time to time, clashes continue in Donbas between Ukrainian forces and the militants who declared their secession in 2014, killing more than 13,000 people since then until today.
It is noteworthy that relations between Kiev and Moscow have been witnessing an escalating tension for about 7 years, due to Russia's illegal annexation of the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula to its territory, and its support for separatist militants in Donbas.