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Status: 04/02/2021 10:03 pm
Tensions in Ukraine have been rising for days. US President Biden has now pledged to support the Kiev government. Russia warned the West against sending troops to Ukraine.
By Silvia Stöber,
tagesschau.de
The conflict over eastern Ukraine is fueling tensions between the United States and Russia. Reports of extensive troop movements by Russian forces to the Ukrainian border were followed by warnings and threatening gestures.
Now US President Joe Biden said: He assured Ukraine of America’s “unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and integrity in the face of ongoing Russian aggression in the Donetsk and Crimea basin.” This was announced by the White House after Biden made a phone call to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Selensky.
US Foreign Ministry spokesman Ned Price had previously spoken of an “escalation of aggressive and provocative action by Russia in eastern Ukraine.” He warned Russia against attempts to “intimidate or threaten our partner Ukraine.”
Military exercise near the border with Ukraine
For its part, the Russian leadership warned against sending Western troops to Ukraine. “Such a scenario would undoubtedly lead to further escalation of tensions near Russian borders,” said President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov. This would require additional measures to ensure safety. Russia, on the other hand, “does not threaten anyone and has never threatened anyone,” Peskov said.
However, the Russian armed forces have announced an anti-drone exercise near the border with Ukraine. 50 battalions with 15,000 soldiers would participate. Participants will be trained in “electronic warfare and air defense to protect against drone attacks.” No precise time was given for the exercise to take place.
“Climbing” on the front line
Peskov insisted that his country “did not participate in the conflict” in Ukraine and accused the Ukrainian armed forces of numerous provocations in the region. Earlier this week, he had confirmed an increase in fighting in the region.
In a statement, Ukraine’s parliament spoke of an “escalation” on the front line, noting a “significant increase in bombings and armed provocations by the armed forces of the Russian Federation.” On March 26, four Ukrainian soldiers were killed and two wounded in clashes near the city of Schumi. The ceasefire in Donbass was last renewed in June 2020.
Numerous interception maneuvers
In response to the situation in eastern Ukraine and Russian troop movements on the border with Ukraine, the US military in Europe raised its state of alarm to the highest level, the New York Times and other media reported.
NATO also announced that an unusually large number of Russian military aircraft had been sighted near the alliance area earlier in the week. During interception maneuvers over the North Atlantic, as well as the Black Sea and the North and Baltic Seas, six different groups with Russian bombers and fighter jets were identified in less than six hours. This was an exceptional peak value.
The Russian newspaper “Roter Stern” later reported that Russian radar stations had located 37 foreign spy planes and 13 drones along the state border.
Show of strength …
Experts speculate on Putin’s intentions: is he pursuing military targets in Ukraine, does he want to test Biden’s determination, or is it just a show of force?
Military expert Michael Kofman, for example, currently views Russian troop movements not necessarily as preparation for an attack, but as a show of force. They are unusual and designed to attract attention, Kofman writes on Twitter. However, he also noted that the parade was still ongoing and did not yet provide a complete picture. The situation must be viewed with caution.
… and internal political motives?
Russian journalist Konstantin Eggert, who works for Deutsche Welle, recalls again in an article a statement by Putin at the Davos Forum at the end of January: Propaganda and aggressiveness against Russia are increasing. Such a game without rules increases the risk of unilateral use of military force, the Russian president said. Russian state and government broadcasters then claimed that Ukraine was preparing for war.
Eggert sees internal political reasons for this: the upcoming Duma elections in September, on the one hand, and the extent of the protests regarding the poisoning of government critic Alexej Navalny, on the other. The annexation of Crimea in 2014 gave Putin an approval rating of 70 percent. Eggert believes that such a strong effect can no longer be expected. But Putin’s critics, including Navalny, face a difficult decision: support Putin or be seen in Russia as the West’s unpatriotic puppet.
There are other motives for a massive military operation: creating a land connection between Russia and annexed Crimea, seizing the industrial and port city of Mariupol, and securing Crimea’s troubled water supply. But one feature of Putin’s policy is its unpredictability.
