What is known about the Ukraine-Russia crisis

The United States and its allies have welcomed the expression of willingness to take diplomatic steps, but say they have seen no concrete evidence of a reduction in Russian military escalation.

NATO defense ministers met in Brussels on Wednesday as the West tries to curb possible intervention, which Russia insists has no plans to undertake.

WHAT IS HAPPENING TO RUSSIAN BODIES?

US President Joe Biden says 150,000 Russian troops have gathered near Ukraine’s northern, southern and eastern borders, and Western officials say a Russian attack could occur at any moment.

The Russian Defense Ministry has announced that some units participating in military exercises will begin to return to their bases, a statement that was hailed as “a positive signal” by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. Russia’s Defense Ministry has released footage of a train carrying armored vehicles leaving Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014.

But NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the military alliance had not seen “any reduction in escalation on the ground. “On the contrary, it seems that Russia is continuing its military focus.”

“Russia continues to have massive military forces in readiness to attack,” he said.

WHAT DOES RUSSIA SAY?

The Kremlin denies allegations that it is planning an intervention. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said “Western hysteria deeply concerns us” and accused the West of trying to dictate how Russia should behave on its territory.

Moscow’s ambassador to the European Union, Vladimir Chizhov, told the German newspaper Welt that “there will be no attack this Wednesday. “There will be no escalation next week, or the week after, or next month.”

Western officials say that even if an attack is not launched soon, Russia could keep its troops close to Ukraine for weeks, turning its military focus into a protracted crisis that has already hurt Ukraine’s economy.

Russian forces continued their massive war games on Wednesday in Belarus, in northern Ukraine, with fighter jets on training missions and soldiers training with weapons.

The West fears the drills could be used to cover the tracks ahead of a possible attack on Ukraine, but Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei said all Russian troops and weapons would leave the country after the maneuvers are completed on Sunday.

WHAT IS NATO DOING?

Defense ministers from NATO member states met in Brussels in a bid to strengthen the prevention strategy, while continuing diplomatic efforts with Russia.

Secretary Stoltenberg said that NATO would send a very clear message to Russia that “we are ready to sit down and discuss with them, but at the same time, we are prepared for the worst.”

He said Russia’s actions had provoked “a crisis in European security” and showed that Moscow was ready to undermine the continent’s pillars of stability by threatening its neighbor.

“I say with regret that this is the new normal in Europe,” he said.

Secretary Stoltenberg said NATO had discussed setting up new military groups in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe, including one led by France in Romania, but no final decision has been made yet.

NATO has ruled out sending troops to Ukraine to fight Russia, which is not a member of the Western alliance. But hundreds of US, British and other NATO troops have been sent to strengthen the defenses of member states in Eastern Europe, including Poland and the Baltic states, who fear they could also be Russian targets.

Moscow accuses NATO of getting closer and closer to its borders. A key Russian demand is for Ukraine to abandon its ambition to join NATO. The Alliance says Ukraine should have the freedom to make its own choices.

European Union leaders will discuss the latest developments related to the crisis on Thursday before the start of an EU-Africa summit. The EU, the US and Britain have threatened heavy sanctions on Russia if it attacks Ukraine.

WHAT ELSE IS THE WEST WORRIED ABOUT?

Western diplomats have called the crisis the biggest challenge to the international order since the end of the Cold War. The conflict has also focused the attention of many European governments on securing their future energy supplies.

Western governments accuse Russia of cutting its natural gas supplies to Europe to exploit Russia’s security requirements, contributing to much higher energy prices.

In the short term, Europe is seeking additional gas from other countries, including Japan. The crisis could also accelerate the transition to climate-friendly renewable energy, which is already underway.

US climate envoy John Kerry will highlight the link between climate change efforts and global security at the Munich Security Conference in Germany, where he is scheduled to speak on Friday. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is also expected to attend the conference.

CYBER CIRCUMSTANCES

The computer systems continue to have problems following a cyber attack on Tuesday on the websites of the Ukrainian army, the defense ministry and major Ukrainian banks.

Ukrainian officials say they are investigating the origin of the attack while Russia has denied involvement.

Meanwhile, US authorities have warned that Russian-backed hackers have long been waging a long-running campaign to seize classified materials from private contractors working for the Pentagon.

The warning issued by the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Security Agency says hackers, using “simple but effective tactics,” have targeted Pentagon contractors at least since January 2020 and are likely that cyber attacks continue.

U.S. authorities said the hackers were able to obtain non-confidential data of a nature of high importance, as well as technology used by the CDC and not allowed to be exported. Authorities did not say which contracting companies had been hacked.

ATMOSPHERE IN UKRAINE

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared Wednesday a “day of national unity.” He called on the people to display the national flag in blue and yellow and sing the national anthem in the face of hybrid threats. To mark National Unity Day, the crowd gathered at a sports arena in Kiev holding a 200-meter-long Ukrainian flag.

“Russia will not leave us in peace, so we must always be ready,” said 52-year-old scientist Yuri Maistrenko. “It did not happen today, but it could start tomorrow or in a month.”

WHAT IS HAPPENING IN RUSSIA?

President Putin, who has held tense meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Scholz in recent days, seemed to be smiling in Moscow on Wednesday during a meeting with Brazilian authoritarian President Jair Bolsonaro.

Meanwhile, Russian lawmakers have urged President Putin to recognize rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine as independent states. Russia has supported the rebels in a conflict that has claimed the lives of more than 14,000 people since 2014. The Russian president hinted that he was reluctant to support the motion, which would end a peace deal. year 2015.

The top US diplomat, Antony Blinken, said that if President Putin approved the request, the move would be a “grave violation of international law” and would bring “a swift and strong response” from the United States and its allies. .

IMPACTS IN OTHER AREAS

The crisis is causing political and economic surges in air and sea transport. Ukraine International Airlines said it had sent some of its passenger planes to Spain to guard them.

The Ukrainian airline said it made the decision under pressure from insurance companies “because of the foreign policy situation”.

The airport in Castellón in eastern Spain said five planes had arrived and another was expected. The Ukrainian airline continues round-trip flights with a reduced fleet.

In Germany, the pilots’ union called for the planes to avoid flights over “tense regions” in eastern Ukraine.

In 2014, 298 passengers aboard a Malaysia Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur were killed when a Boeing 777 crashed into a rebel-held missile over eastern Ukraine.

Norwegian fishermen also expressed outrage over a three-day Russian naval exercise in the Arctic that began Wednesday. Fishing boats have been warned to stay away from a 1,000-kilometer-long line from northern Norway. Sturla Roald with the Association of Fishing Boat Owners called the situation “completely unstable” .VOA

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