Tensions have been flying high between Moscow and the West for months, with little prospect currently of imminent de-escalation. Stress is also mounting between Russia and Ukraine, as Russian military activities in the surrounding region increase. In Washington, the White House and President Joseph Biden argue that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be pending. The Kremlin has, in turn, repeatedly claimed it has no intentions of deploying troops into Ukraine. Instead, Moscow accuses North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries of trying to “occupy Ukraine” by sending in modern weapons, military advisors, and instructors as well as “seeking pretexts and ways to send NATO troops,” according to Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the State Duma. Volodin declared this in an official address opening the spring session of Russia’s parliament (Militarynews.ru, January 18, 2022). Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov contends that Russia is only repositioning troops to the Ukrainian border in order to counter the North Atlantic Alliance “moving its military infrastructure up to Russian borders” and to offset NATO reconnaissance aircraft and drones overflying Ukraine. Peskov insisted that Russia’s actions are entirely legitimate (Militarynews.ru, January 16, 2022).
Russian Troops Deploy to Belarus With Fanfare (Pavel Felgenhauer, The Jamestown Foundation)
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