A "show of force".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday accused Russia of amassing troops on the border of his country, Washington warning Moscow against any attempt to "intimidate" Ukraine.

While Ukrainian and American officials have reported in recent days of Russian troop movements near the Ukrainian border, the Kremlin stressed that Russia is moving its troops as it sees fit, but asserted that Kiev and the West should not. not "worry" about these movements.

"The show of force in the form of military exercises and possible provocations along the border constitute the traditional occupation of Russia," the Ukrainian president denounced in a statement.

Moscow "tries to create a threatening atmosphere and to put pressure" on Ukraine, he continued while calling for a new truce on the front line with the pro-Russian separatists, of which Russia is regarded as the military support .

Muscle-flexing in the form of military exercises on the border with #Ukraine is an attempt to put pressure in the negotiations on ceasefire and peace as our value.

We are always ready for provocations.

🇺🇦 army is not only strength and power, but also wisdom and balance.

- Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 1, 2021

Washington warning

For his part, the spokesman for American diplomacy, Ned Price, warned Moscow against "any aggressive act aimed at intimidating or threatening" Ukraine, saying he was "concerned" by "recent escalations. aggressive and provocative acts "by Russia.

Earlier today, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that "Russia is moving its armed forces to its territory as it sees fit", adding that "this does not pose a threat to anyone and should not worry anyone" .

Ukrainians and Americans have reported recent movements of Russian troops in Crimea, a peninsula annexed by Moscow in 2014, and on the Russian-Ukrainian border near territories controlled by pro-Russian separatists.

After a record truce in the second half of 2020, the war in eastern Ukraine has seen an increase in clashes since January.

Both sides blame each other for the escalation.

More than 13,000 dead since 2014

Twenty Ukrainian soldiers have been killed and 57 wounded since the start of the year, President Zelensky said Thursday, as Kiev reported 50 soldiers killed in the whole of 2020. A soldier was wounded again on Thursday, according to the 'army.

Ukrainian military intelligence on Thursday accused Moscow of preparing "the entry" of its "regular armed forces" into the separatist territories "on the grounds of protecting" the inhabitants, to whom Russia has distributed hundreds of thousands of its passports. .

Russian troops could "try to penetrate further into Ukrainian territory," the service added.

"The Russians are working on the compatibility of their army" with the separatist troops, a senior Ukrainian official said on condition of anonymity: "Their military units will be ready to attack from mid-April."

An official of the Ukrainian presidency, Roman Machovets, suggested during a meeting with the NATO representative in Ukraine to organize military maneuvers and joint air patrols to "stabilize the situation in the region".

Moscow, which blames the outbreak of violence in eastern Ukraine on the Kiev authorities, has always denied having had any men or weapons on the ground.  

The war in Ukraine, which claimed more than 13,000 lives, began in 2014 after pro-Westerners came to power in Kiev, which was followed by Moscow's annexation of Crimea.

With AFP

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