On April 22, Russia announced an order for troops from the area near the border to Ukraine to return to the base, seemingly ending the gathering of tens of thousands of soldiers that had worried the West.
Russian soldiers are waiting in line to board the Ilyushin Il-76 transport plane (Image: Reuters) Following the announcement, the currencies of both Russia and Ukraine surged, signaling a sigh of relief from investors just hours after Russia finished its Crimea exercise – the region that has returned to be part of the campaign. Russia in 2014. Since 2014, Russian-backed separatists have been fighting the Ukrainian government in the region. Hence, the confirmation of the Russian withdrawal is likely to be welcomed by Western countries, which have expressed concern over the prospect of Russia intervening more deeply in eastern Ukraine. This month, a spokesman for the President of Ukraine said, Russia has deployed more than 40,000 troops on the eastern border of Ukraine and more than 40,000 in Crimea, of which about 50,000 are new deployments. Moscow does not release specific numbers. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on Twitter that Ukraine “welcomes any move to reduce its military presence and the situation in Donbass (eastern Ukraine)”, at the same time “grateful to international partners. supported them “. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Kyiv did not know whether Moscow would launch an attack, and said that if Russia does, the West must make sure it is on Ukraine’s side. “So now it can go in either direction” – Mr. Kuleba said – “And this is why the homogeneous Western response is so important right now.” State Department spokesman Ned Price said Washington was aware of the Russian announcement and was closely monitoring the situation at the border. “We have heard the words and what we are looking for is action” – Mr. Price said. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said he ordered the soldiers participating in the exercises to return to the base before May 1 after completing what he called a “check” in the border area. “I believe that the quick test has completely achieved its goal. The military has proven its ability to provide a reliable defense for the country,” he said. Military weapons will be gathered at a training ground near the city of Voronezh, about six hours’ drive from Ukraine, so that they can be used again later this year in another scheduled large exercise. Hours earlier, Mr. Shoigu had attended exercises in Crimea, which Moscow says involved 10,000 troops and more than 40 warships. Russia also announced that it had arrested a Ukrainian man as spies in the Crimea. Being stationed near Ukraine is one of the problems that has intensified tensions between Russia and the West. Last week, the US tightened sanctions against Russia for accusing it of cyber-attacks and meddling in the presidential election held last November. Along with that, the Czech Republic also accused Moscow of having a role in the deadly explosion at an arms depot in 2014. Both countries expelled Russian diplomats, angering Moscow to deny the allegations and expelled their diplomats in response. In an important speech on April 21, President Vladimir Putin warned Western countries not to cross the “red line”, though he did not specify what this line is. This week, however, Putin will still attend a climate summit hosted by US President Joe Biden. In Moscow, the Kremlin said Putin had received an invitation from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to meet to discuss the crisis. “If the President deems it necessary, he will answer himself. I have nothing to say about that now “- Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
You must log in to post a comment.