Topline
The Russian Defense Ministry on Friday claimed it was withdrawing more tanks from its border with Ukraine, a day after U.S. officials alleged that pullback claims were a deliberate ruse and flagged concerns of an imminent invasion of Ukraine in the next “several days.”
Pictured in this video screen grab is a troop train carrying military hardware of Russian Army … [+]
Key Facts
In an official statement, the Russian Defense Ministry said that several mechanized infantry units are returning to their permanent bases after completing “planned exercises” in the country’s western military district—which borders Ukraine.
The ministry added that multiple tanks and armored tracked vehicles will be transported by rail over a distance of about one thousand kilometers back to their permanent deployment points.
The official statement once again claimed that these armored units had gathered along the border region as part of a large-scale operational training program.
While Moscow appeared to hint at de-escalation, pro-Russian separatist groups and the Ukrainian military again accused each other of violating a 2015 ceasefire agreement in the conflict-ridden Donbass region in eastern Ukraine.
The Kremlin on Thursday had said it was “deeply concerned” about the flare-up in eastern Ukraine and was observing the situation closely but U.S. officials warned that Russia may simply be looking for a pretext to justify an invasion.
A monitoring mission from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) recorded a total of 519 ceasefire violations in the Donbass region on Thursday.
Surprising Fact
The OSCE on Thursday also reported that its special monitoring mission in eastern Ukraine was threatened to leave a separatist-controlled area near the city of Luhansk by a member of the rebel forces. The OSCE mission was told that its presence in the region was not allowed during live-fire exercises and was warned that its patrol vehicle would be seized should it attempt to visit the area in the future without prior authorization from the rebel groups.
Key Background
Both Russia-backed rebels and the Ukrainian military traded accusations this week of firing and shelling across the ceasefire line in the Donbass region. While such incidents have occurred frequently since the ceasefire went into effect in 2015, U.S. officials recently warned that it may be used by Russia to justify an invasion. Washington has continued to completely dismiss Russia’s claims of a military drawdown from its border, calling it a deliberate ruse to mislead the West. The Washington Post, citing U.S. officials, reported that Russian forces have continued to increase near Ukraine’s border and shelling in the Donbass region has also seen an increase. President Joe Biden told reporters at the White House on Thursday that the threat of an invasion remains “very high” and that Russia may be creating an excuse to do so.
Further Reading
Why The West Is Out To Expose The ‘Kremlin Playbook’ (Forbes)
Rebels accuse Ukraine of shelling as Russian media reports tank withdrawals (Reuters)
Tensions Ratchet Up As Pro-Russian Rebels And Ukraine Military Accuse Each Other Of Shelling (Forbes)
U.S. intelligence shows Russia’s military pullback was a ruse, officials say (Washington Post)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/02/18/russia-claims-its-withdrawing-more-tanks-from-border-amid-fresh-claims-of-ceasefire-violations-in-eastern-ukraine/