The video shows Russia withdrawing its troops from Crimea. Video: Russian Ministry of Defense The Russian Ministry of Defense announced the same day video footage of tanks, armored artillery and soldiers boarding the landing craft on the Crimean coast one after another. This is also where Russia has just completed the exercise with the participation of 60 warships, more than 10,000 soldiers, about 200 aircraft and 1,200 ground vehicles. The withdrawal was carried out by Russia after Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu asserted that “the army has proven its ability to ensure the country’s defense”. “I decided to complete inspection activities in the Western and Southern Military Region bordering Ukraine,” Shoigu said on April 22. Russian battleships boarded the amphibious ships to return to their permanent base. Photo: ITN According to Mr. Shoigu, the withdrawal will be completed by May 1. However, Russia still retains the weapons here for the exercises at the end of the year. The aforementioned weapons have been increased by Russia to Crimea and the region near the Russian border since late March, amid Moscow fears that the Ukrainian army has launched a bloody large-scale war against pro-Russian separatists in the East. Ukraine. NATO and Ukraine expressed concern over Russia’s military action and repeatedly urged Moscow to withdraw. Some Western sources even expressed skepticism that Russia had actually withdrawn.

Specifically, speaking before the meeting of the Defense Sub-Committee of the European Parliament in Brussels – Belgium, Andrii Taran noted that he could not rule out the possibility that Russian forces in Crimea could “take provocative actions. military promotion “in 2021.

Earlier, Mr Taran said “Russian provocations” could exacerbate conflicts in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine bordering Russia. Taran revealed that Russia concentrates 110,000 troops on the Ukrainian border.

Ukrainian tanks during an exercise near Crimea. Photo: Reuters

According to Reuters, any decision by Russia to move nuclear weapons to Crimea will be a bad development in East-West tensions. That gesture would increase tensions for a newly renewed arms control treaty between the US and Russia.

Concerning developments, in a statement from the Ukrainian army, the Ukrainian armed forces have been rehearsing to increase their ability to respond to a tank and infantry attack near the Crimea border on April 14. The drills come the day after US President Joe Biden phoned Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss Russia’s military build-up near eastern Ukraine and in Crimea.

On the Russian side, on April 14, the Russian navy began exercises in the Black Sea with exercises to fire targets on the ground and in the air. This exercise is to test combat readiness, readiness to react to threats from NATO. As planned, the rehearsal would end after 2 weeks.

Defense Minister of Ukraine Andrii Taran. Source: Anadolu

Speaking to the defense subcommittee of the European Parliament in Brussels, Minister Taran warned that Moscow could attack Ukraine to secure water supplies for the annexed Crimean peninsula.

Besides, Mr. Tahan said, does not rule out the possibility that Russian forces in Crimea could “carry out major military provocations” in 2021, but he did not provide immediate evidence for this hypothesis.

Regarding developments, on the same day, the SBU national security agency of Ukraine announced that it was conducting a large-scale “anti-terror” exercise in the Kherson region near Crimea. SBU’s announcement said units of the Ukrainian armed forces together with police and border guards participated in the exercise.

The announcement emphasized: “The key strategic targets of key infrastructure in the Kherson region are being tightly controlled … These are seaport areas, power supply facilities, airports, demand and gas production plants “.

Earlier, the Ukrainian military posted a video, on a rock music scene, showing the country’s tanks deployed in formation with soldiers loaded and fired for artillery during a pushback drill. the attack of tanks and infantry infiltrated the defensive area near the Crimea border.

The drill comes a day after US President Joe Biden telephoned Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss Russian troop reinforcement in Crimea and near eastern Ukraine, among other US concerns.

Ukraine’s secret weapon system is a series of missile launchers developed by the State Design Bureau Kyiv Luch in cooperation with other private and public Ukrainian defense companies.

MLRS can destroy infantry, armored and armored vehicle targets in the area where artillery batteries, headquarters and ammunition are concentrated. This system will allow the Ukrainian military to protect its borders, strait and territorial sea as well as naval bases and coastal infrastructure within missile range.

The mass-launch missile system was tested several times in 2018, while recent tests were conducted at a military training facility in Ukraine’s Odesa region in August 2019.

Russian website Rg.ru said that the 9P140 truck belonging to the MLRS series launch missile system of the Ukrainian army had a serious accident on the Odessa – Mariupol highway.

According to the latest information from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the MLRS convoy is on its way to the city of Mariupol on the coast of Azov, to strengthen its defenses against a threat from Russia.

Initial information showed that a vehicle carrying the missile for the MLRS system lost control, crashed into the median side of the road and plunged down a roadside slope causing the vehicle to flip over many times.

The car was severely damaged, the cabin was completely destroyed and the most frightening thing was that 16 rockets fell out but fortunately they did not explode. There is currently no specific information on the casualties of the driver’s vehicle.

The original cause was identified as a technical problem from the driver’s part, and another reason highlighted by the Russian press was that the vehicle’s use status was too long and the lack of spare parts. cure.

The MLRS series launch missile system is mounted on the KrAZ-7634 8 × 8 truck chassis. The driver’s cabin is mounted in the front left part of the chassis. Located behind the driver’s cabin, a systematic launch cabin with launch and fire preparation equipment.

The total weight of the truck is 32 tons, while its load capacity is 18.8 tons. Power comes from the YaMZ-7511.10 turbocharged diesel engine paired with a nine-speed mechanical transmission system. The engine develops a maximum capacity of 420 horsepower and allows a top speed of 100km / h.

The MLRS system is based on the Soviet-era BM-30 Smerch heavy jet artillery system. Each system is controlled by a crew of 4 and is capable of firing rockets in either single or launch mode.

The launch mass of each 300mm missile is 800kg. MLRS is capable of destroying enemy targets at a distance of 130 km. The system can fire 12 missiles in just 45 seconds and hit targets with a ring failure probability (CEP) below 30m.

The MLRS has a new automatic fire control system, which can be operated in either automatic or manual mode. The fire control system allows automatic determination of the bearing angle of the launcher.

The MLRS missile uses a non-GPS navigation system to avoid the risk of signal loss due to interfering with satellite positioning or deceptive attacks. Each missile is powered by a solid engine and can be fitted with different warheads. Photo source: Pinterest.

A close-up of the power of the Smerch jet cannon – with 12 bullets that can destroy all life in an area of ​​67 hectares. Source: QPVN.

On April 13, Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Joe Biden held a telegram to discuss the tensions in Ukraine, security issues and the importance of nuclear arms control. . The White House has also proposed holding a formal meeting “in a third country”.

In a statement on April 13, US officials confirmed that the two leaders of Russia and the US had talked about “a series of regional and international issues”.

Presidents Biden and Putin telephoned, but Russia-US relations are still difficult to escape tension. (Photo: RT)

Specifically, President Biden has “voiced concerns about unusual Russian military maneuvers” on the Crimean peninsula and along the Ukrainian border. Mr. Biden called on Moscow to take action “to cool down”.

The exchange between the Russian-US President comes at a time when the danger of conflict between the Ukrainian army and Moscow-backed militants inside the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine shows signs of pushing up into a total war. The move to mobilize large numbers of troops and weapons by the Kiev government has led Russia to also strengthen its military presence along the Ukrainian border.

Some Western countries accuse Moscow of planning to invade Ukraine, but Russian officials have repeatedly denied.

In a move intended to show support for Ukraine, Washington dispatched two warships to the Black Sea.

For its part, the Kremlin says the situation in Donbass is “extremely horrible”, and Russian diplomats have previously expressed concerns with their American counterparts.

But US State Department spokesman Ned Price said that Washington was worried about receiving “credible reports” about the movement of Russian troops near the border between Russia and Ukraine and called for “Russia. restraint to avoid escalating stress ”.

Over the past few months, the US-Russia relationship has deteriorated. Moscow even summoned the Russian ambassador to the country to conduct urgent discussions about the future of relations with Washington.

Specifically, the Russian ambassador to the US, Anatoly Antonov, returned home after in an interview President Biden called Putin a “murderer”. Mr. Biden’s comments have met with strong criticism from many Russian officials.

For his part, Putin used a maxim to disprove Mr. Biden’s claim. According to Mr. Putin, Mr. Biden is “breaking our belly to the stomach”.

“I remember that when we were kids, we played together on the field and used to say ‘belly-up’. It is not a joke or a kid’s sentence, this one has a profound psychological meaning. We always see our own qualities in others and think they really are like us, “Putin said.

According to Putin, the US is “determined” to build relations with Russia, but “only on matters that are beneficial to the US”.

Concluding a phone call between the two presidents on April 13, the US said that Biden’s goal was to build a “predictable and stable relationship with Russia in line with American interests”. In addition, the US also proposed to hold a summit in the next few months, to create an opportunity for the two leaders to “discuss the issues that Russia and the US are facing together”.

In a statement at the end of April 13, the Kremlin said President Biden “expressed a desire to normalize bilateral relations” and sought a consensus on arms control operations, chapter nuclear process, situation in Afghanistan and global climate change problem.

In the past, Russian President Putin met with Biden’s predecessor, former President Donald Trump, in Helsinki in 2018.

For now, Moscow is still skeptical of the White House wanting to hold a constructive dialogue.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “No one allows the US to talk to Russia in a strong position.” Instead, the two countries should treat each other fairly, Mr. Peskov said.