Russia holds flurry of military drills
Ukraine leaders urge citizens not to panic as tensions ramp up
With little sign of diplomatic progress, and rhetoric reminiscent of the Cold War, Russia on Tuesday announced a flurry of military drills across its vast territory, spanning from the Pacific Ocean to its western flank around Ukraine.
The announcement, which followed a series of military moves made by the United States and NATO aimed at deterring a Russian incursion into Ukraine, demonstrated the vast reach of the Russian forces and were carried out by units positioned to the north, south and east of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s leaders sought Tuesday to reassure the nation that an invasion from neighboring Russia was not imminent, even as they acknowledged the threat is real and received a shipment of U.S. military equipment to shore up their defenses.
President Joe Biden told reporters Tuesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin “continues to build forces along Ukraine’s border,” and an attack “would be the largest invasion since World War II. It would change the world.”
Several rounds of diplomacy have failed to yield any breakthroughs, and tensions escalated this week. NATO said it was bolstering its deterrence in the Baltic Sea region, and the U.S. ordered thousands of troops on higher alert for potential deployment to Europe as
part of an alliance “response force” if necessary. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also said he is prepared to send troops to protect NATO allies in Europe.
“We have no intention of putting American forces or NATO forces in Ukraine,” Biden said, adding that there would be serious economic consequences for Putin in the event of an invasion.
In Ukraine, authorities have sought to project calm in order not to destabilize the situation and avoid panic and many citizens have expressed skepticism that there will be an invasion soon.
Speaking in the second televised speech to the
nation in as many days, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged Ukrainians not to panic.
“We are strong enough to keep everything under control and derail any attempts at destabilization,” he said.
Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told Parliament that “as of today, there are no grounds to believe” Russia is preparing to invade imminently, noting that its troops have not formed what he called a battle group that could force its way through the border.
“Don’t worry, sleep well,” he said. “No need to have your bags packed.”
In an interview late
Monday, however, he acknowledged that “there are risky scenarios” that “are possible and probable in the future.”
The latest military moves by Russia involved tanks and drones, troops from regular infantry and elite paratroopers. They took place both near Ukraine and far from the region, with three navy ships taking part in joint drills with the Chinese fleet in the Arabian Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said. The Russians limited access to independent journalists, instead releasing photos and video of the drills.
In the west of Russia, crews boarded the
Iskander-M short-range ballistic missile systems, drove them to a training ground and lifted their missiles up in their combat positions, according to a video released by the ministry.
Closer to Ukraine, Russian troops continued to disembark heavy-duty armored vehicles and other equipment from rail platforms in Belarus, ahead of joint drills with Belarusian forces.
Belarus shares a border with Ukraine, and NATO and U.S. officials have warned that the influx of Russian forces there could threaten the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, less than 50 miles from Belarusian territory.
Dmitri Peskov, spokesman for President Vladimir Putin, dismissed such fears Tuesday, saying that tensions around Ukraine have been stirred up by the United States.
The United States has put 8,500 troops on “high alert” for possible deployment to Eastern Europe, and NATO has dispatched additional ships and fighter jets to the region to reassure anxious allies fearful of Russian aggression.
“We are observing such actions of the United States with profound concern,” Peskov said Tuesday.
On Monday, in more extensive comments, Peskov said the U.S. and NATO were orchestrating “information hysteria” around Ukraine by reporting “lies” and “fakes.”
“I would like to note that this is happening not because of what Russia is doing,” he said. “It is happening because of what NATO and the U.S. do, because of the information that they spread.”
On the other side of Ukraine, in Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, Russian tanks launched planned shooting exercises. The Russian contingent in Transnistria, a breakaway region of Moldova, on Ukraine’s southwest, was put on combat alert as part of a planned exercise, the ministry said.
Other exercises were also reported in the North Caucasus, near Moscow, in the Baltic Sea. In the Ivanovo region near Moscow, the Yars mobile missile launcher vehicles, used for intercontinental missiles, began patrolling the area.