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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 noise in Moscow by 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 V. 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.
“Ready to attack”
On Thursday, Austin called Ukraine’s Defense Minister Andriy Taran, the Ukrainian ministry said.
During the conversation, L. Austin said that Washington “will not leave Ukraine alone in case Russian aggression escalates,” the report said.
At the time, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and his Canadian counterpart Marc Garneau discussed Russia’s “deteriorating security situation” on the front line.
Ukrainian military intelligence has accused Russia of preparing to “expand military involvement” in the separatist-controlled regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.
„Reuters“ / „Scanpix“ nuotr./Lloydas Austinas
In a statement, the intelligence service said it did not rule out the possibility that Russian forces tried to move “into the territory of Ukraine.”
A senior Ukrainian government official, who was unwilling to reveal his name, claimed that the Russian army was training to coordinate military action with separatists.
“Starting in mid-April, its combat units will be ready for the attack,” the official told AFP.
Afternoons ‘shouldn’t worry’
Moscow has repeatedly denied sending troops and weapons to aid separatists, with Putin’s spokesman emphasizing on Thursday that Moscow was free to relocate troops to its territory.
“The Russian Federation is relocating the armed forces to its territory at its discretion,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. However, he did not directly approve the mobilization of forces on the border with Ukraine.
„Scanpix“ / ITAR-TASS nuotr./Dmitrijus Peskovas
He added that “no one should worry” and that this “does not pose a threat to anyone.”
The war in eastern Ukraine broke out in 2014, after a bloody uprising that toppled the Kremlin’s friend, Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, after Russia tore up Ukraine and annexed the Crimean peninsula.
The Pentagon said Wednesday that the “readiness for Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine” had increased the readiness of US forces in Europe.
Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, also spoke with his colleagues in Russia and Ukraine, Valery Gerasimov and Ruslan Khomchak.
Khomchak said this week that there are currently 28,000 in eastern Ukraine. separatist militants and “more than 2,000 Russian military instructors and advisers.”
On Thursday, the deputy head of the Zelensky administration, Roman Mašovec, called for a joint military exercise with NATO forces, saying it would “help stabilize the security situation.”
Zelensky was elected in 2019, vowing to end the conflict in eastern Ukraine, but critics say his only tangible achievement is a shaky ceasefire.
Since March 2014, more than 13 thousand people have died in eastern Ukraine. people, according to the United Nations.
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