{"id":138189,"date":"2021-04-02T21:28:45","date_gmt":"2021-04-02T18:28:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/?p=138189"},"modified":"2021-04-02T21:29:15","modified_gmt":"2021-04-02T18:29:15","slug":"war-to-come","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uacrisis.org\/en\/war-to-come","title":{"rendered":"Russia masses troops near Ukraine border. A war to come?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As the episodes of military escalation in Donbas become more frequent, experts say the conflict in eastern Ukraine could possibly unfreeze. After the drills, Russian forces remain near the border with Ukraine as more troops and weapons are deployed to the border and in the occupied Crimea, reports on the Russian social media show. At the same time, the Ukrainian Armed Forces conducted military drills near Crimea using long-range multiple launch rocket systems Smerch and surface-to-air missile systems Osa. Border tensions are in the media spotlight both internationally and nationally. We\u2019ve collected key points, read on.     <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Report by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. <\/strong>On March 30, the Commander in Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Ruslan Khomchak delivered address to the Parliament reporting on the escalation in Donbas. As per the General Staff, despite the buildup of Russian troops near the state border with Ukraine, no immediate large-scale war is projected. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of March 30, Russia deployed a total of 28 battalion tactical groups along the border with Ukraine and to the occupied territory in Donbas and Crimea, Colonel General Khomchak said Tuesday in his address to the Parliament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ukrainian Armed Forces Command projects that Russia will station \u201cup to 25 more battalion tactical groups\u201d near the Ukrainian border and in Crimea that, \u201ctogether with the actual forces deployed to the border with Ukraine, pose a national security threat,\u201d the Commander in Chief said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since Russia occupied Crimea in 2014, its military force in the peninsula increased to 32.7 thousand troops, Col. Gen. Khomchak elaborated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukraine\u2019s intelligence report. <\/strong>According to the Chief Intelligence Directorate of the Defense Ministry of Ukraine, the Russian Federation is in the final stages of preparing a set of measures that are to provoke Ukraine\u2019s military response to the hostile attacks on the contact line in the east of the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAlso, Russia plans to bolster its military presence in the territory of the so-called \u2018DNR\u2019 and \u2018LNR\u2019 by sending its regular troops with the explanation that it needs to protect the Russian citizens in the self-proclaimed republics (who are Ukraine nationals that were forced to take the Russian nationality in the past years),\u201d the intelligence statement reads.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBesides, the Russian troops may attempt to advance deep into the territory of Ukraine. What we also know is that the Russian diplomatic missions abroad and media are on alert to reach out to the international community covering the alleged aggression by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Russia\u2019s \u2018peacemaking\u2019 activities in response,\u201d the intelligence agency said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Statement by the President. <\/strong>President Zelenskyi made a restrained statement on the escalation of the situation at the border. \u201cRussia traditionally flexes its muscles by conducting military drills and staging provocations along the border. That\u2019s what it does to create a sense of threat and, at the same time, exercise pressure during the ceasefire talks and target peace as our value,\u201d the President said.      <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe are always ready to any provocations,\u201d he added. \u201cEach news piece on the casualty is painful to the families, all Ukrainians, and to me as the President. That\u2019s why we don\u2019t cease our attempts to negotiate the ceasefire as the quickest tactical step. Our strategy is to achieve peace and bring back our people and land,\u201d Volodymyr Zelenskyi said.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Statement by the Foreign Affairs Ministry of Ukraine. <\/strong>The Foreign Affairs Ministry of Ukraine said Russia is responsible for what appears to be \u201ca systematic escalation, the largest one in the past years\u201d. \u201cMoscow must cease escalating military tensions, immediately and unconditionally recommit to political-diplomatic solution and ceasefire,\u201d the Foreign Affairs Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba twitted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What the Russian Federation says. <\/strong>On April 1, the Foreign Affairs Minister of the Russian Federation Sergei Lavrov warned against \u201cthe destruction of Ukraine\u201d. \u201cThose trying to start a new war in Donbas will destroy Ukraine,\u201d Lavrov is quoted as saying by Interfax. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cRelying on the news, a majority of the military understand that fueling a hot conflict is malicious. I very much hope that the politicians will not stir them up, and the West with the U.S. on top will not stir them up either,\u201d Lavrov said.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier, when asked about the buildup of Russian troops near the border with Ukraine, the spokesperson of the Russian President Dmitriy Peskov said that the Russian Federation is moving troops in its territory as it prefers and \u201cthat should not worry anyone, as it does not represent a threat to anyone.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Peskov, Russia is doing what it takes to protect its borders. When asked if the troops deployed to the border may \u201cfollow their heart\u201d into helping the \u201cself-proclaimed republics in Donbas\u201d, Peskov repeated that the Russian troops have never participated in the war in eastern Ukraine and will not do so. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To remind, numerous pieces of evidence from 2014-2015 and later, point at the Russian troops\u2019 direct involvement and run counter to the Kremlin\u2019s statement. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. Chief of Staff talks to Russian, Ukrainian counterpart. <\/strong>On March 31, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley spoke with the Chief of the Russian General Staff Gen. Valery Gerasimov by telephone. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the U.S. initiated the conversation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both sides kept the details of their conversation private. The call took place after the Commander in Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces addressed the Parliament to report on the buildup of Russian troops near the border, Reuters underscores. The readout of Gen. Milley\u2019s call with Gen. Gerasimov says the leaders \u201cexchanged their views on issues of mutual concern\u201d. That\u2019s not their first talk. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On March 31, the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley also talked to his Ukrainian counterpart. There is not much detail on this conversation either. According to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Col. Gen. Khomchak updated his counterpart \u201con the security situation in Ukraine and at its borders.\u201d   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

General Milley \u201creaffirmed unwavering U.S. support for Ukraine\u2019s sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders,\u201d the statement by the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces reads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Responding to the question about the reason for Gen. Milley\u2019s call to Russia and Ukraine, the Pentagon\u2019s Press Secretary John Kirby said the agency is concerned about the recent escalations of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine, and those concerns are also being discussed with the NATO allies. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The U.S. reacts to the escalation in Donbas.<\/strong> The U.S. European Command raised its watch level from possible crisis to potential imminent crisis after the escalation of Russian aggression in eastern Ukraine that led to the deaths of four Ukrainian soldiers, and Russia\u2019s buildup of troops near the border.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, the U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke by phone with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense Andriy Taran, to discuss the defense and security cooperation between the states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secretary Ostin expressed concern over the recent escalations of the Russian aggressive actions and reaffirmed the U.S. support for Ukraine amid the ongoing Russian aggression in Donbas and Crimea. As per Ukraine\u2019s Defense Ministry, the U.S. will not leave Ukraine alone if Russia escalates aggression towards Ukraine. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Defense Minister Taran spoke of the systematic escalation in the combat zone and Russia\u2019s reluctance to respect the ceasefire. He mentioned the deaths of the four Ukrainian troops on March 26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Merkel, Macron, and Putin meet over video conference. <\/strong>The German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the President of France Emmanuel Macron met with the President of Russia Vladimir Putin over a video conference. The situation on the ground in eastern Ukraine was one of the subjects they discussed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The parties released readouts of the video conference, each one different by tone and content. While France and Germany insist on the Normandy Four talks, the Kremlin presses for talks between the Ukrainian government and the Russia-controlled administrations in the occupied part of Donbas.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As the episodes of military escalation in Donbas become more frequent, experts say the conflict in eastern Ukraine could possibly unfreeze. After the drills, Russian forces remain near the border with Ukraine as more troops and weapons are deployed to the border and in the occupied Crimea, reports on the Russian social media show. At […] More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":138190,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[699],"tags":[],"section":[743],"form":[],"yoast_head":"\nRussia masses troops near Ukraine border. A war to come? | UACRISIS.ORG<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As the episodes of military escalation in Donbas become more frequent, experts say the conflict in eastern Ukraine could possibly unfreeze. 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