The European Union has pledged its “unwavering” support for Ukraine’s government amid concerns of a military escalation in the country after recent Russian troop movements. ukraine
Ukraine has accused Russia of massing thousands of military personnel on its northern and eastern borders. There has also been a sighting of Russian troops on the Crimean Peninsula Moscow annexed in 2014.
Additionally, online researchers have pointed to the transfer of troops to Ukraine’s borders from western and central Russia. According to the researchers, there is also the transfer of artillery from as far away as Siberia.
The videos and pictures uploaded to TikTok also show Russian troops and armour being transferred across Russia to the Ukrainian border and into Crimea. They include pictures of train carriages carrying tanks, rocket artillery launches, and trains carrying contract troops to the border region.
EU foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, revealed he is “following with severe concern, the Russian military activity surrounding Ukraine”. He disclosed that he has pledged “unwavering EU support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” during a phone call with Ukrainian foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba.
However, the Russian government has denied it is planning a military attack but has not denied the troop movements. Russia was doing “what it considers necessary”, according to deputy foreign minister, Sergei Ryabkov. He added that the country would “ignore signals” of concern from the United States and other western countries.
Borrell said he would hold further talks on the issue with Kiev’s top diplomat and foreign ministers from the EU’s 27 nations at a meeting later this month.
Western leaders including Joe Biden have said they are standing by Ukraine.
Moscow pressuring allies
Analysts have pushed forward several theories explaining Russia’s military “mobilization”.
Addressing the issue, Michael Kofman, director of the Russia studies program at the CNA corporation, stated that Moscow’s aims are unclear. He noted that while it regularly holds military exercises in the region; the Russian military deployments “appear out of cycle for such exercises, and are not regular troop rotations.”
He also averred that Moscow’s goal may be to intimidate Ukraine and put pressure on its western allies to “back political concessions in order for Russia to freeze the conflict in the country’s south-east.”
Last week, the US European Command raised its threat level from possible crisis to potential imminent crisis. This, analysts say, is because Moscow may also be putting the Biden administration on notice that it remains a formidable power willing to project its power abroad.
NATO officials have also expressed concern that Moscow is undermining peace efforts in eastern Ukraine.
“Allies shared their concerns about Russia’s recent large scale military activities in and around Ukraine. Allies are concerned about Russian violations of the July 2020 ceasefire that led to the death of four Ukrainian soldiers.”
Reports of the military buildup have swirled amid an escalation of armed clashes between Ukraine’s forces and Russian-backed separatists. According to the UN, the conflict has claimed more than 13,000 lives since 2014.
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