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Kiev has been fighting Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine since 2014, and this week Ukrainian officials reported on the movement of Russian forces in annexed Crimea and near the border with Ukraine near areas controlled by the separatists.
On Thursday, Zelensky’s ministers discussed the deteriorating security situation with allies in the West, including US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
“Muscle exercise in the form of military exercises and possible provocations at the border are traditional Russian games,” Zelensky said in a statement.
He accused Moscow of creating a “threatening atmosphere” in hopes that Kiev would resume last year’s ceasefire.
The US State Department said it was “absolutely concerned about the recent intensified aggressive and provocative actions by Russia in eastern Ukraine.”
“We would oppose aggressive actions to intimidate and threaten our partner Ukraine,” State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters.
Some observers say the reports on the mobilization of Russian forces are a test for the administration of US President Joe Biden. Last month, Biden made a fuss in Moscow, equating Russian President Vladimir Putin with an assassin.
Russia and Ukraine have blamed each other this week for escalating ceasefire violence between government forces and separatists in eastern Ukraine.
According to Zelensky, 20 Ukrainian soldiers have died and another 57 have been injured since the beginning of the year.
Furthermore, the army announced that a Ukrainian soldier had been injured during a separatist attack.
The tank forces were trained in eastern Ukraine, torn by separatist conflict, an army loyal to Kiev said on Thursday.
“According to the scenario of the exercise, the enemy broke the defense and the infantry was forced to retreat. The tanker trucks were ordered to march towards the waiting area and then go out to the fire. During reconnaissance, the tankers identified the main enemy forces in combat and forced him to react. When it was revealed to the enemy, the main forces of the tank reserve went into battle ”, says the report published on the social network Facebook.
And he added: “During the battle, the tankers were protected from the Zenit coup, because threats had to wait not only from the ground but also from the air.”
“In real war conditions, other brigades of units will also defend the positions taken during the battle,” the report says.
According to him, the tank units, according to the Minsk peace agreement, have been withdrawn from the line of contact with the pro-Russian separatist forces that control a large part of eastern Ukraine and have not been involved in combat operations for a long time. .
Kremlin: West and Ukraine ‘shouldn’t worry’
The Kremlin said on Thursday that Ukraine and the West should not “worry” about the Russian army’s maneuvers on the Ukrainian border, after Kiev expressed concern that the conflict in eastern Ukraine could escalate again.
This week, Kiev and Washington reported on Russian military maneuvers in annexed Crimea, as well as near the Russia-Ukraine border, near areas controlled by Moscow-backed separatists.
The war in eastern Ukraine began in 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula following a bloody uprising that toppled pro-Kremlin President Viktor Yanukovych.
Russia has repeatedly denied sending its troops and weapons across the border to support the separatists.
Although Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov did not directly approve the concentration of forces on the border with Ukraine, he stressed Thursday that Moscow has the right to move troops freely on its territory.
“The Russian Federation is relocating its armed forces to its territory at its discretion,” Peskov told reporters.
He added: “It shouldn’t worry anyone or threaten anyone.”
“As for the participation of Russian soldiers in the armed conflict on the territory of Ukraine, Russian soldiers have never contributed to it,” said a Kremlin spokesman. – [Jie] it doesn’t do that now. “
This week, Kiev and Moscow blamed each other for escalating violence between government forces and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, jeopardizing last year’s ceasefire.
According to Kiev, at least 19 Ukrainian soldiers have died since the beginning of this year.
The Pentagon told reporters Wednesday that US forces in Europe had increased their readiness in response to “the recent escalation of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine.”
In addition, on Wednesday, Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, spoke by phone with his Russian counterpart Valery Gerasimov and Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Ruslan Khomchak.
This week, Khmochak stated that there are currently 28,000 people deployed in eastern Ukraine. separatist fighters and “more than 2,000 Russian military instructors and advisers.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was elected in 2019 and vowed to end the conflict that began seven years ago, but critics say his only tangible achievement is a fragile ceasefire.
Zelensky’s talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Paris in December 2019 did not bring the two countries closer to a long-term agreement.
According to the United Nations, the fighting in Ukraine since 2014. demanded more than 13 thousand. human lives.
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