Washington claims; Russia has deployed 7,000 troops on the Ukrainian border.
A White House official claims that the Russian military has not only not withdrawn from the Ukrainian border, but has added 7,000 new troops to the region in recent days.
Despite the release of videos and images showing Russian troops withdrawing from the Ukrainian border and Moscow trying to reduce tensions with Kiev, Western officials continue to escalate tensions and create a mock crisis.
A U.S. official said Thursday morning that the Russian military had not only not withdrawn from the Ukrainian border but had added 7,000 new troops to the region in recent days.
Earlier, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said today that Russia had not withdrawn its troops from the Ukrainian border but was sending more troops to the region.
Russia’s foreign ministry spokesman said yesterday that Russia’s propaganda about the war had failed, as Russia announced its return of troops from the border with Ukraine after military exercises. Russia’s Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday (February 15th) that a number of Russian military exercises in Belarus have been completed and the return process has begun.
Tensions between Ukraine and Western countries have risen sharply in recent years, especially since the annexation of the Crimean peninsula to Russia in 2014. The peninsula seceded from Ukraine and joined Russia after a referendum after the fall of Ukraine’s central government by Western-backed groups and the rise to power of pro-Russian groups in eastern Ukraine.
Estonia’s foreign intelligence service also claimed on Thursday morning that it was continuing to send Russian troops to the Ukrainian border, claiming that Moscow might launch a limited offensive against the country.
