"The already tense situation is escalating": Gerasimov promised to stop the military provocations of Ukraine in the Donbass

Any provocations by the Ukrainian authorities to resolve the situation in Donbass by force will be suppressed.

This was stated by the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation Valery Gerasimov during a briefing in front of the military attaches of foreign states.

He also named the reasons for the aggravation of the already tense situation in the Donbass.

“The supply of helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles and aircraft to Ukraine is pushing the Ukrainian authorities to take drastic and dangerous steps.

Kiev does not comply with the Minsk agreements.

The Ukrainian armed forces declare the beginning of the use of anti-tank guided missiles "Javelin", which were supplied by the United States, in the Donbas, and also use reconnaissance and strike unmanned aerial vehicles of Turkish production, "he stressed.

At the same time, the head of the General Staff called the information disseminated in the media a lie about the allegedly impending "invasion" of Russian troops into Ukraine.

“The NATO countries are paying excessive attention to the movement of troops across the territory of the Russian Federation.

The redeployment of units during combat training is a routine practice for the armed forces of any state.

Military activity is carried out on national territory and does not require notification, ”Gerasimov said.

According to him, NATO's military activity has increased significantly in recent years.

For example, about 40 major military exercises of the North Atlantic Alliance are held annually in the immediate vicinity of the borders of Russia.

“This year, a large-scale exercise“ Defender of Europe ”was held, in which not only the alliance countries were involved, but also non-aligned states - Sweden, Finland, Austria.

In the course of them, significant contingents of troops were redeployed to the Russian borders.

The exercises have been completed, but at the same time part of the United States' equipment has not yet been withdrawn from Europe, "he said.

Also on russian.rt.com "They are unfriendly to us": Putin announced a confrontational line in NATO's policy towards Russia

In addition, the Defense Ministry is observing "a surge in the naval activities of NATO forces in the Black and Baltic Seas."

Gerasimov stressed that the actions of the ships of the alliance "are often provocative in nature."

In addition, the United States has increased the number of overflights of the Russian borders with its strategic aviation, which carries out training in cruise missile launches at targets on the territory of the Russian Federation.

Over the past month, about 30 flights were recorded, which is double the figures for the previous year.

According to him, the Russian military is closely monitoring all movements and is ready to suppress "any attempts to violate the border."

"The Russian Defense Ministry confirms its readiness to discuss European and global security issues in order to create the necessary conditions for developing concrete measures to de-escalate tensions and increase the level of mutual trust," Gerasimov stated.

In recent weeks, Western media have published materials that Russia allegedly has deployed troops near the Russian-Ukrainian border and is preparing for an "invasion" of Ukraine, which is scheduled for January 2022.

During a video link on December 7, Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden exchanged views on the internal Ukrainian crisis and NATO actions.

The presidents of Russia and the United States instructed their representatives to promptly start discussing these sensitive issues.

The day before, Vladimir Putin stressed that Moscow is pursuing a peaceful foreign policy, but has the right to ensure its own security.

According to him, the prospect of Ukraine's joining NATO cannot but worry, since this step will be followed by the deployment of military contingents, bases and weapons threatening Russia on the territory of the country.

“This is one of the key issues in ensuring Russia's security in the medium and even strategic perspective.

We talk about this constantly, publicly, we warn our partners that this is unacceptable for us, "the head of state explained.

At the same time, Joe Biden said that the United States did not plan to send its troops to defend Ukraine from Russia.

According to him, in the event of a "Russian invasion," Washington will apply economic sanctions, "the likes of which have never happened," and will provide Kiev with defense assets and take measures to strengthen its NATO allies.

In addition, Roger Wicker, a member of the US Senate Committee on Armed Affairs, recommended to the American President not to exclude the possibility of using nuclear weapons against Russia to protect Ukraine from an "attack."

The Russian embassy called such a statement by the American politician "irresponsible."

Former Democratic Rep. Tulsi Gabbard called the proposal to consider a preemptive nuclear strike "madness".

According to her, the use of nuclear weapons will lead to a war that will destroy the entire world.