Putin launches nuclear strategic exercises as Ukraine crisis escalates
The Kremlin announced that Russian President Vladimir Putin launched strategic military exercises, including the launch of ballistic missiles, on Saturday, amid escalating tensions over Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the exercises have begun and Putin is following them with his Belarusian counterpart and ally Alexander Lukashenko.
Peskov stated that Russia is frank about the exercises, and notified all concerned parties, and was quoted by the Russian "TASS" news agency that the exercises "should not cause concern for anyone."
It comes as Western leaders gathered in the German city of Munich amid fears that Putin could order troops massed on the border with Ukraine to invade at any time.
Russian-backed separatist leaders in eastern Ukraine announced a general military mobilization a day after ordering women and children to leave for Russia over what they described as an imminent attack by Ukrainian forces.
Kiev categorically denied the accusation, while Washington said it was an attempt by Russia to create a pretext to invade Ukraine.
A Reuters witness said that multiple explosions were heard this morning in the north of the separatist-held city of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine.
The source of these explosions was not immediately clear.
Ukraine said earlier that one of its soldiers had died.
On Friday, US President Joe Biden, who has repeatedly warned of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine, said he now believed Russia would target the Ukrainian capital, but did not think Putin was even unlikely to consider the use of nuclear weapons.
"We have reason to believe that Russian forces are planning and intending to attack Ukraine next week, in the coming days," Biden told reporters at the White House.
"I am convinced at this moment that he made this decision," he added.
For his part, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Saturday during a visit to Lithuania that Russian forces massed on Ukraine's borders "began to spread" and "preparing to attack."
"It began to spread in several locations and is preparing to attack," he added, adding that the Russian soldiers "are heading towards appropriate locations to be able to carry out an attack."
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