Russian troops mass along border in show of might
MOSCOW — Russia is resuming its military buildup along the Ukrainian border in an apparent attempt to intimidate its neighbour, NATO’s chief said Thursday.
Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the alliance’s secretary general, said Russia has sent a few thousand additional troops to the border, calling it “a very regrettable step backward.
“If they’re deployed to seal the border and stop the flow of weapons and fighters, that would be a positive step. But that’s not what we’re seeing,” Rasmussen said in London.
The Russian Defence Min- istry refused to comment.
Russia has denied Ukrainian and western allegations that it is fomenting the rebellion in eastern Ukraine by sending troops and weapons into the region.
Last month, in an apparent attempt to ease tensions in Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin pulled back many of the estimated 40,000 Russian troops massed along the border.
The new allegations came as Ukrainian government troops unleashed a major offensive against pro-Moscow insurgents. Fighting raged near Krasnyi Liman in the Donetsk region, which has been the epicentre of violence over the past two months.
Vladislav Seleznev, a spokesman for Ukrainian forces in the east, described the area as a strategic supply corridor for the rebels. Four government troops were killed and 20 wounded in the fighting Thursday, he said on Facebook.
He said up to 200 rebels were killed and hundreds wounded.
His numbers could not be independently confirmed.
Rebel chief Igor Strelkov admitted his men were far outnumbered and outgunned and would probably be forced to retreat.
Strelkov bitterly scolded the Kremlin for failing to help the rebellion and issued a desperate plea to send in troops.
“I hope that they have enough conscience left in Moscow to take some measures,” he said in a statement on YouTube.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko promised Wednesday to call a unilateral ceasefire to give the rebels a chance to lay down their weapons and leave the country. He is expected to outline details of the plan Friday.
Putin has faced strong pressure from nationalists at home to send troops into Ukraine following the annexation of Crimea in March.
But the Russian president, eager to avoid a new round of crippling western sanctions, has instead welcomed Poroshenko’s peace initiative.
The new Russian military deployments come at a delicate time.
Next week, the foreign ministers and leaders of the European Union are scheduled to meet and could consider tougher economic sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine crisis.