Peskov says Russia will keep troops on its border with Ukraine 'as a precaution’ against a ‘NATO invasion’
In an interview with CNN on Jan. 16, Russian presidential press secretary Dmitry Peskov accused the North Atlantic Treaty Organization of a “creeping invasion of Ukraine” and claimed that Russian troops are being massed on the Ukrainian border due to the “…alliance’s actions and military tensions.”
“We are witnessing NATO’s creeping invasion of Ukraine via its (NATO’s) infrastructure, military advisors, stockpiles of defensive and offensive weaponry, efforts to train Ukrainian service members, and so on,” claimed Peskov.
NATO advisors have been assisting in the modernization of the Ukrainian army since the invasion and occupation of several Ukrainian territories by Russia in 2014. Since then, the Ukrainian military has been in a defensive conflict with Russia in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region, parts of which, including the regional capitals of Donetsk and Luhansk, are occupied by Russian proxy military forces.
Peskov said Russia will “no longer tolerate (NATO military activity in the region)” and will take necessary precautions, such as keeping troops stationed around the Ukrainian border. The press secretary once again falsely claimed there was “no Russian presence in Ukraine’s territory,” and said Russia’s massive and extremely threatening military buildup close to Ukraine was “completely reasonable.”
While Russia is prepared to take measures in response to further NATO enlargement, the Kremlin wants “everyone to be clear: no one is threatening anyone; such threats would constitute madness,” Peskov said.
However, many Ukrainians feel that a large buildup of Russian military assets on the Ukrainian border does in fact constitute a threat to Ukrainian sovereignty.
Earlier, Peskov did not rule out Moscow deploying offensive weaponry on Ukrainian soil – a statement he later backpedaled on, insisting that he was misquoted.
On Jan. 12, representatives of the 30 NATO member nations spent four hours discussing the threat of a renewed Russian invasion of Ukraine, as well as the Kremlin’s demands.
Afterwards, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance would never compromise on its “open door” policy.
On Jan. 14, the White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki stated that the United States has evidence of Russia planning to conduct various false flag operations in Donbas. Corroborated by the Pentagon, Psaki said that Moscow sent operatives, trained in explosives and urban combat, into eastern Ukraine, to be used to stage false flag operations that could give Putin a pretext to once again invade Ukraine.
Currently, over 100,000 Russian troops are estimated to be deployed on the Russian-Ukrainian border and in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories, reports Ukrainian intelligence.
A Russian troop buildup on the Ukrainian border was first widely reported in early December 2021, with several media outlets speculating that Russia might invade Ukraine with a force of 175,000 troops in early 2022.
The situation on Ukraine's eastern border is a matter of deep concern for both U.S. and EU officials. According to U.S. President Joe Biden, the White House is looking at a range of options to dissuade Russia from a potential attack on Ukraine.
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