Russia says some troops return to base, Ukraine reacts cautiously
FILE PHOTO: Russian servicemen drive tanks during military exercises in the Leningrad Region, Russia, in this handout picture released February 14, 2022. Russian Defence Ministry/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo
MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia said on Tuesday some of its military units were returning to their bases after exercises near Ukraine, following days of U.S. and British warnings that Moscow might invade its neighbour at any time.
It was not clear how many units were being withdrawn, and by what distance, after a build-up of an estimated 130,000 Russian troops to the north, east and south of Ukraine.
The development drew a cautious response from Ukraine and Britain but prompted a sharp rally on financial markets. Western military analysts said it was too soon to be sure of the extent of any de-escalation.
"We've always said the troops will return to their bases after the exercises are over. This is the case this time as well," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
He accused the United States of fuelling the crisis by warning repeatedly of an impending invasion, to the point where Peskov said President Vladimir Putin had made jokes about it.
"He asks (us) to find out if the exact time, to the hour, of the start of the war has been published. It's impossible to be understanding of this manic information madness," Peskov told reporters.
Britain, which with the United States has led the warnings of imminent action, reacted cautiously.
"The Russians have claimed that they have no plans for an invasion, but we will need to see a full scale removal of troops to show that is true," Foreign Secretary Liz Truss told LBC radio.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Kyiv would only believe that Russia was moving to de-escalate the situation if it saw for itself that Russian troops were being pulled back.
"If we see a withdrawal, we will believe in a de-escalation," Interfax Ukraine quoted him as saying.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, on the latest Western diplomatic mission to defuse the crisis, began talks with Putin in the Kremlin.
A Russian defence ministry spokesman said that while large-scale drills across the country continued, some units of the Southern and Western military districts adjacent to Ukraine had completed their exercises and started returning to base.
The Southern military district said its forces had started withdrawing from Crimea and returning to their bases after completing drills on the peninsula, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014.
Video footage published by the defence ministry showed some tanks and other armoured vehicles being loaded onto railway flatcars.
"February 15, 2022 will go down in history as the day Western war propaganda failed. Humiliated and destroyed without a single shot fired," Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
Russian shares, government bonds and the rouble, which have been hit by fears of impending conflict, rose sharply, and Ukrainian government bonds also rallied.
CAUTIOUS RESPONSE
Western military analysts were cautious about the significance of the latest troop movements.
Many of the Russian forces in Belarus for drills due to end on Sunday have come from thousands of miles away in the Eastern Military District. Tuesday's announcement made no mention of those forces.
"Potentially good news, but we should wait to see where the Eastern and Central Military District goes, especially after Feb 20," Rob Lee, a military analyst who specialises in Russia, wrote on Twitter.
"As long as that remains nearby, Russia will have the capacity to conduct a significant escalation, though possibly not on as short notice."
Konrad Muzyka, director of the Poland-based Rochan consultancy, told Reuters it would take several days to verify the latest moves via satellite imagery.
"It should also be noted that new trains with equipment from Central Russia keep on arriving near the border and that Russian forces continue to move towards staging areas. The announcement stands in a direct opposition to what Russia has been doing for the past few days," he said.
Commercial satellite images taken on Sunday and Monday showed a flurry of Russian military activity at several locations near Ukraine, according to the private U.S. company that released the pictures.
U.S.-based Maxar Technologies pointed to the arrival of several large deployments of troops and attack helicopters as well as new deployments of ground attack aircraft and fighter-bomber jets to forward locations.
The latest news conference of German Chancellor Olaf Scholz & Russian President Putin tells a lot!
ReplyDeleteFrom the live telecast, both persons were smiling in answering questions from the media after that hour long comical long table meeting.
From the responses to the media questionings these r my conclusions.
There would not be war. Both Scholz & Putin emphasized heavily. (Biden's lost)
The Minsk Protocol agreed in 2014/15 would be upheld. (Putin win - no NATO eastward expansion)
Germany would buy more gas/oil from Russia. (Putin win - Nordstream II wouldn't be stopped as dictated by Biden)
Russian military buildups deescalate as a concession to Germany promises not to stop Nordstream II. (Scholz scores for Germany/EU while Macron loses face)
The most significant fact is the news conference which Macron didn't get!
Besides，all the question responses have left out mentioning of US! The beginning of sidelining of US by the EU?
Does Scholz has the EU mandate? Is he strong & cleverly enough to manoeuvre some of the pro-US EU politicians by manipulating all the ir fear of an EU warfront?
Somehow, Putin is convinced that Scholz could put some rabbits out from his hat! Thus that co-hosted news conference!
The main reason Russia has not been able to simply dismiss American accusations of its aggressive military build-up as Fake News is the widespread availability of commercial satellite photographs.
ReplyDeleteThe photographs of the massing of Russian armour is available to anyone, latest photographs of almost any spot on Earth are available for a modest fee.
Yes, widespread availability of commercial satellite photographs!
DeleteCommercial?
Wow…
How about widespread availability of commercial satellite photographs of the military buildups along the NATO fronts?
Oooop… no such commercial satellite photographs available for a modest fee!
Mmmm… either is NATO sticking to its none intervention policy (wakakaka…) or these NATO buildups have cloaking shields!
Yeah...., pray tell then the missing MH370!
ReplyDeleteZelensky is just a pawn in the Great Game. The Ukrainian crisis has nothing to do with Ukraine. It's all about Germany and in particular, the Nord Stream 2. Washington had tried to sabotage the project at every turn, but even so, the Nord Stream has managed to pushed ahead and is now in fully operational mode, ready-to-go.
ReplyDeleteOnce the German regulators give the final certification, the gas deliveries from Russia will begin, providing German homeowners a reliable source of clean and inexpensive clean energy. A win-win for both parties in Germany and Russia.
This development has put the US Foreign Policy establishment into a state of great unhappiness, to put it mildly. They don't want Germany to become dependent on Russian gas. Commerce such as this tends to build trust and trust leads to the expansion of trade. Imagine...as relations grow warmer and more trade barriers are lifted, regulations are eased and a new security partnership/cooperation evolves. This will be a true nightmare to that Hegemon who sees itself as the perpetual rightful Lord of the Realm, controlling all of humankind on this planet earth.
So, this is the crux of the matter : in a world where Germany and Russia are friends and trading partner, there is no need for the US military bases, no need for expensive US-made weapons and missile systems, no need for NATO. AND...there's no need to transact energy deals in US Dollars or to stockpile US Treasuries to balance accounts. Transactions between business partners can be conducted in their own currencies, thus precipitating a sharp drop in the value of the dollar and a dramatic shift in economic power with the dollar as world reserve currency on less firm ground.
All this must be read in the context of a future in which Europe and Asia are drawn closer together into a massive free trade zone that increases their mutual power and prosperity while leaving the US on the outside, its 75 years unipolar world order spiralling down into the abyss. Biden's strategy of the Divide and Rule is taken from the standard US playbook - to create the perception that Russia poses a security threat to Europe, with its media screeching endlessly " Russia is planning to invade Ukraine" ! This manufacturing of crisis is used to isolate and demonize Russia but the ultimate goal is to prevent Germany from forming any meaningful relationship with Russia.