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Russia's military build-up near Ukraine is growing, not shrinking, warns West

Published 02/16/2022, 04:23 AM
Updated 02/16/2022, 11:57 PM
© Reuters. Russian military aircraft fly during the exercises of the Russian Navy in the Mediterranean Sea, February 15, 2022. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALE

© Reuters. Russian military aircraft fly during the exercises of the Russian Navy in the Mediterranean Sea, February 15, 2022. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. MANDATORY CREDIT. NO RESALE

By Alexander Marrow and Aleksandar Vasovic

MOSCOW/KYIV (Reuters) - There is a growing Russian military presence at Ukraine's borders, Western countries warned on Wednesday, as Estonia said battle groups were moving ahead of a likely attack to occupy "key terrain," contradicting Moscow's insistence of a pullback.

More armored vehicles, helicopters and a field hospital have been spotted, Britain's defense intelligence chief said in rare public comments.

Up to 7,000 more troops have moved to the border in recent days, including some arriving on Wednesday, a senior official in U.S. President Joe Biden's administration said, without providing evidence.

World powers are engaged in one of the deepest crises in East-West relations for decades, jostling over post-Cold War influence and energy supplies as Russia wants to stop Ukraine ever joining the NATO military alliance.

Western nations have suggested arms control and confidence-building steps to defuse the standoff, which has prompted them to urge their citizens to leave Ukraine because an attack could come at any time. Russia denies it has any plans to invade.

"There's what Russia says. And then there's what Russia does. And we haven't seen any pullback of its forces," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview on MSNBC.

"We continue to see critical units moving toward the border, not away from the border."

Estonian intelligence is aware of around 10 battle groups of troops moving toward the Ukrainian border, where it estimates about 170,000 soldiers are already deployed, said Mikk Marran, director general of the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service.

The attack would include missile bombardment and the occupation of "key terrain," he added.

"If Russia is successful in Ukraine, it would encourage it to increase pressure on the Baltics in the coming years," he said. "The threat of war has become the main policy tool for Putin."

Russia's defense ministry said its forces were pulling back after exercises in southern and western military districts near Ukraine, and Moscow's ambassador to Ireland insisted forces in western Russia would be back to their normal positions within three to four weeks.

It published video that it said showed tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, and self-propelled artillery units leaving the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow seized from Ukraine in 2014.

But NATO military commanders are drawing up plans for new combat units that diplomats said could be deployed in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia.

Such units - designed to buy time for additional soldiers to reach the front line if needed - already exist in Poland and the Baltic states.

Britain will double the size of its force in Estonia and send tanks and armored fighting vehicles to the small Baltic republic bordering Russia as part of the NATO deployment.

'DAY OF UNITY'

Ukraine also increased the number of border guards on its frontier with Belarus, Russia's ally, where some 9,000 Russian troops are estimated to be involved in military exercises.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who is criss-crossing the country to help bolster Ukrainians' morale, observed drills by his armed forces that included Javelin anti-tank missiles.

Wednesday was designated a patriotic holiday in response to reports Russia could invade on that day. "No one can love our home as we can. And only we, together, can protect our home," he said.

People raised flags and played the national anthem to show unity against fears of an invasion.

The government said a cyberattack that hit the defense ministry was the worst of its kind the country had seen, pointing the finger at Russia, which denied involvement.

U.S. officials were as yet unable to say who was responsible, White House spokesperson Jen Psaki said.

'MORE TROOPS ON WAY'

The risk of Russian aggression against Ukraine would remain high for the rest of February and Russia could still attack Ukraine "with essentially no, or little-to-no, warning," according to a senior Western intelligence official.

NATO said it could prove Russia's failure to pull back its soldiers with satellite imagery. "More troops are on their way," said Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

Moscow has accused the West of hysterical war propaganda after repeated warnings of a possible attack.

Russia sees Ukraine joining NATO as a threat to its security and has said it is ready to reroute energy exports to other markets if it is hit by sanctions, which Washington and its allies have threatened if it invades.

Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said sanctions against Russian banks would be "unpleasant" but the state would ensure all bank deposits and transactions were secured.

Despite the war of words, diplomatic efforts continue.

Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz underscored the "importance of continued transatlantic coordination" on a call on Wednesday, the White House said.

Ukraine has asked the U.N. Security Council to discuss on Thursday a bid by Russia's parliament to recognize self-proclaimed separatists.

© Reuters. A view shows a freight train transporting Russian military vehicles, which leave the Crimean peninsula towards the Russian mainland along a railway bridge across the Kerch Strait, in this still image taken from video released February 16, 2022. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS

British foreign minister Liz Truss is due to visit Kyiv this week and Blinken will travel to Germany for the Munich Security Conference, which starts on Friday, to coordinate with allies.

"The door continues to be open to diplomacy," said Psaki.

Latest comments

What pullback? Russia HAS 150,000 TROOPS ON UKRAINE BORDER, FOLKS, don't think this isn't about to be war. If you think it's anything other than a build-up to imminent war VERY SOON, I got some ice cubes in Death Valley I'd like to sell ya, just a quick PayPal payment and they're yours via FED EX Next Day Air.Start praying, and, no, not for the ice cubes really being sent I just sold you--they will come! Start praying we see REAL RESULTS OF A PULLBACK AND THAT PUTIN DOESN'T DO SOMETHING MAD🙏, dear Lord...amen
They keep deleting my posts. So I will short TRI at open. EZPZ..
The Senate is probably trading on the fake news they are creating, daily.
they are doing border protection exercises that's all. propaganda spin here
the "Russia could invade as early as next week" is disloyal clickbait not worth of proper journalism professionals
Reuters is fake news
Fake
West need war to soak up all that money they printed
nice painting
Can the Russians be a little more specific on that invasion time frame, than. just Wednesday February16th, 2022? Am, or pm, and who's?
Russian isnt invading neither is Ukraine. they are working together trying to strengthen out agreements with liberals and liberals Bill's that arent paid in full
Rumors of war. It won’t happen. It is just to manipulate oil and defense stocks.
JB: don't look at domestic US, look at Ukrain! See? Dangerous! You all should buy weap from me! Super deal mate!
he will not invade, he is happy keeping oil prices peaking.
invading will start an insurgency war in his and eastern Europe backyard and disrupt his economic gravy train, he is devious not stupid.
putin gonna change his name pusytin he can't do anything
Putins plans have backfired. He thought he could divide and conquer. Now NATO will tighten it's grip. Russia is a mid level power, with an economy roughly the size of South Korea's, only less advanced. Time to face reality. They have nuclear weapons, so what, using them is suicide
Putin and Russian men are no different than most of our hypocrite, philandering men in the USA. No integrity. Say one thing. Do another.
what kind of joke going on
US is eagerly waiting for Russia to invade Ukraine more than Russia itself. Dirty media going all around west. Today Ukraine ambassador clearly stated how filthy western media is spreading panic among people.
 The president of the Ukraine said the same a couple of weeks ago.
ya david, like we should listen to another psychopathic dictator who wants to do to The Taiwan Democracy, and the Taiwanese people, what Putin wants to do to Ukraine.
chinese bot here
This is a direct failure of Biden policy's , inflation, crime , border overrun here , let's worry about the invasion here of cartel drugs and criminals
butch trying to change the subject that what far right trolls try to do when there loosing....
most of the criminals left when last administration exited ... 🐑
Markets already priced war in, just bullish now, thank you Fed
priced war in??? are you nuts?
Why making panic I dont understand. Already world is suffering with Chinese Corona and now US war?
from the roof you can see the clouds of recession on the horizon
Putin's has united the eu and Nato. know he's trying "smoke and mirrors" to stall for time to figure a way out of his own arrogance and stupidity. he probably will try to salvage something for himself out of the negotiations with the USA and the EU..,or then again, find an excuce and continue to be stupid and arrogant, and attack Ukraine.
david Putin is mafia boss who is a ***corrupt and dangerous and must be confronted for his crimes against the Russian people.
Get ready the market is going to crash when innocent people die including Americans
"Innocent"...
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