The US and NATO show their distrust of the Russian movement: "There is no proof of withdrawal of Russian troops" in Ukraine

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Russia continues its de-escalation at the Ukraine border amid accusations of doing the opposite.

The Russian Defense Ministry released images of how forces from Russia's Southern Military District return to their bases after taking part in routine maneuvers on the Crimean peninsula.

Tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and self-propelled artillery systems are returning to bases for maintenance ahead of the new phase of troop training, Moscow said.

But the US continues to see how Russian forces are heading towards the border with Ukraine, instead of away from it, Secretary of State Antony Blinken denounced.

"We continue to see not only these massive forces, we continue to see units moving toward the border. What we need to see is the exact opposite," Blinken told MSNBC.

The Secretary General of NATO said it yesterday and repeated it today: despite the Kremlin's announcement "there is no evidence of a troop withdrawal, of a de-escalation on the Russian side (...)

" .

On the contrary, if the Ukrainians and allies notice anything, it is that the Russian deployment is consolidating and strengthening on the border: "This, of course, can change. However, what we see today is that Russia maintains a massive invasion force ready to attack. What we see is that they

," Jens Stoltenberg lamented on Wednesday.

Stoltenberg's message is not new because there is nothing different on the ground

.

It is one thing to say and another to do.

"It's the new normal," said the Norwegian in reference to that "paradox" typical of these times, the uncertainty and threat of disinformation and provocation.

Russia deploys 100,000 troops and heavy equipment but turns warnings of a possible attack into a travesty, taunting Washington or London while, Gila-style, asking the enemy to tell it what time they think they're going to invade.

And a part of society, citizens and the media lend themselves to the game, turning the anxiety and tension of millions of people into a joke.

Vladimir Chizhov, the Russian representative in Brussels, has said laughing these days.

"We don't know what is going to happen, but we know what has happened other times

," said the Nordic politician.

NATO has never speculated on specific actions or dates, as US intelligence and the White House did last week.

They have not risked an accurate forecast, but they reiterate that when Vladimir Putin has mobilized troops, whether in 2014 and 2015 in eastern Ukraine, in Belarus, Georgia or Moldova, there have been movements.

It is not about daydreams, but about a more than evident accumulation of troops and equipment, a constant threat and an underlying political objective.

Or several, whether in Ukraine, facing the Atlantic Alliance or the European Union, which is the one that really threatens the Russian "sphere of influence" with soft power.

The secretary general has appeared this afternoon after a ministerial meeting of the organization.

The allies have agreed on a communique, one more, along the usual lines, without news of substance or form, but with a more concrete possibility: the creation of new combat battalions in the eastern zone.

"We are gravely concerned about the large-scale, unprovoked, unwarranted Russian military deployment in and around Ukraine and Belarus. We urge Russia, in the strongest possible terms, to choose the path of diplomacy and immediately reverse its deployment and withdraw its forces from Ukraine in accordance with its international obligations and commitments We remain committed to our two-pronged approach:

", starts the document.

Reinforcement in the East

As part of the first part, that of dissuasion, the ministers today discussed in depth, according to the official version, the possibility of a military reinforcement in the eastern part, something that has actually been going on for several weeks.

"

. As a consequence and to ensure the defense of all Allies, we are deploying additional ground forces in the eastern part of the Alliance, as well as additional maritime and air assets, and have increased the preparation of our forces. Our measures are and will continue to be preventive, proportionate and non-progressive. We are prepared to further strengthen our defensive and dissuasive posture to respond to all contingencies", the ministers point out.

A key part of that defense is "

". NATO in recent times has increased its presence in the eastern part of the Alliance, with four multinational battle groups in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. Four battle groups led by the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and the United States United and ready for immediate activation Stoltenberg has indicated that in the coming weeks there will be consultations to study whether it is necessary to create some additional ones for the area of ​​Romania (led by France, which has offered) and the Caspian Sea. the one we have and that we share among the allies can be corroborated with commercial satellites, with sources in the public domain", stressed the secretary general. A way of saying to Western citizens, above all, that this would have nothing to do with Iraq .It is not about alleged secret weapons of mass destruction, but the Russian Army is on the border, ready and waiting for a signal.

This Thursday, the leaders of the European Union will address the Ukraine issue in person in the community capital.

A summit with African partners had been planned for months, but the Europeans will meet beforehand, for at least an hour, to update the available information, review response measures if an attack occurs and try to coordinate their message, after trips individuals to the Kremlin of President Emmanuel Macron and Chancellor Olaf Scholz in recent days.

On Tuesday, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said the country was withdrawing some of its troops from the Ukrainian border and Crimea after completing military exercises.

Belarus has promised that "not a single Russian soldier" will remain in the country after the joint exercises, which last until February 20.

Kiev is concerned that there are still many troops across its border.

"I think all this is more of a distraction and an attempt to regain the diplomatic initiative

," says Gustav Gressel, an analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), a pan-European think tank.

"Putin was somewhat cornered, pointed out as the aggressor by all countries, and by providing an olive branch, even if it is false, he has redefined this battlefield," says Gressel, who believes that through the cyber attacks Ukraine suffered on Tuesday, Russia has chosen to "apply other forms of pressure on Ukraine, let us think that two thirds of Ukrainians have their personal bank account in PrivatBank [one of the banks attacked]".

that the country has seen and that still lasts.

And she blames Russia, which denies her involvement.

ANNEXATION WAITING

In Kiev there is concern about the request made on Tuesday by the Russian parliament:

.

They see it as the first step to an annexation of that part of the region.

Although the Russian Parliament on Tuesday encouraged Putin to take that step, the Kremlin distanced itself after that idea.

"Putin took note of the Duma's request to recognize the Donbas republics, but such a move is not in accordance with the Minsk Agreements," said Dimitri Peskov, the Russian president's spokesman.

Moscow has been increasing pressure for some time so that Kiev complies with the peace agreements it signed in 2015, cornered in eastern Donbas by Russian troops who, fighting alongside the separatists, caused huge casualties and the loss of several positions.

Since then, the Ukrainian Army has significantly improved its firepower and the current government feels more solid than the previous one.

President Volodimir Zelensky would like to review the terms of the Minsk Agreements.

He considers them too disadvantageous, an opinion in which he agrees with broad sectors of Ukrainian politics.

"Putin continues his pressure on Kiev to meet his political demands. These demands are focused on meeting Minsk on Russian terms, not Ukrainian terms, which would lead to an erosion of its sovereignty. In fact, there is no de-escalation in this crisis, it's just war by other means" concludes Gressel.

These peace agreements establish elections, a political normalization in these regions and also the holding of elections.

and in Kiev they fear that these voters will turn the course of the country.

A day after Putin spoke of

in eastern Ukraine, the Ukrainian Defense Minister, Alexei Reznikov, assured that Kiev is not planning any aggressive action: neither in Donbas, nor in Crimea.

And that in no territory will there be provocations from the Ukrainian side.

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