Russian defense minister says troops are stationed on Ukraine border as NATO precaution

Speaking during an unhinged military visit, Minister Shoigu told reporters that the soldiers had met the necessary standards for the current situation.

“The military has shown readiness and ability to fulfill its mission to ensure the country’s military security,” Shoigu said.

The minister said the current drills were Moscow’s response to “the relentless efforts by the U.S. and its NATO allies to strengthen forces close to Russia’s borders.”

Over the past three weeks, Russia has deployed two units and three formations of paratroopers to the Western region in response to “military operations that are threatening Moscow.”

The U.S. and its allies have voiced warnings about increased Russian military presence along the border with Ukraine, and increased violations of the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine.

Years-long conflict in eastern Ukraine has left more than 14,000 people dead. But negotiation efforts have stalled.

NATO chief on Tuesday called russia’s latest deployment the largest concentration of forces on the Ukrainian border since 2014.

The White House said U.S. President Joe Biden had expressed concern about Russia’s increased military presence and “called on Moscow to reduce tensions” in Tuesday’s phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

In private meetings with ukraine’s foreign minister, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg also strongly supported Ukraine and warned Russia not to push for increased troops along the border.

In response, the Kremlin claimed Russia was free to deploy troops wherever it wanted on its territory. Moscow has also repeatedly accused the Ukrainian military of “provocative actions” along its eastern border.

Amid escalating tensions, the U.S. recently informed Turkey that the two warships would transit through the Bosphorus and reach the Black Sea on April 14-15, then stay there until May 4-5.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov denounced the latest deployment by the US Navy as “publicly provocative,” adding that “American ships have absolutely no reason to be near our shores.”

“They are challenging us,” Mr. Ryabkov said. “Considering itself the Lord of the Sea, the U.S. should recognize that the risk of incidents is very high. We warn the U.S. that they should stay away from Crimea and our Black Sea coast for their own benefit.”