Kiev: Moscow recruits mercenaries
Russia creates air defense system to Belarus
01/21/2022, 12:38 p.m
Is this all just for a maneuver? Russia transfers two divisions and the S-400 air defense system to Belarus. Ukraine also accuses Moscow of increasing its arms deliveries to pro-Russian fighters in eastern Ukraine and of recruiting and training mercenaries in a targeted manner.
Amid the high tensions in the Ukraine conflict, Russia is deploying its S-400 air defense system for maneuvers in neighboring Belarus. The Ministry of Defense in Moscow announced that two divisions had been loaded onto railway wagons in the far east of the country. It is to be transported over thousands of kilometers from the Khabarovsk region to Belarus, where military exercises by Russia and Belarus will begin in a good three weeks.
The maneuvers are also to be held in the south of the ex-Soviet republic to Ukraine and in the west at the EU’s external border. Ten days are scheduled for this. It is a regular exercise. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the total number of soldiers does not exceed the maximum number stipulated in the Vienna Document. This means that there will be fewer than 13,000 soldiers, 300 tanks, 500 armored vehicles and 3,500 paratroopers.
Meanwhile, Ukraine accuses Russia of increasing arms sales to pro-Russian fighters in eastern Ukraine. “The command of the Russian Armed Forces continues to strengthen combat capabilities,” Ukrainian military intelligence said. Moscow supplies the separatists with tanks, artillery systems, ammunition and fuel, among other things. According to the secret service, Russia is also specifically recruiting mercenaries and having them trained in separatist-controlled areas in eastern Ukraine.
Attack on Ukraine from the north?
The US and NATO have accused Russia of planning an attack on Ukraine. Moscow rejects this almost every day. The US government had described the timing of the transfer of Russian troops to the neighboring country as “remarkable”. “Russia may intend to deploy troops in Belarus under the guise of joint maneuvers, possibly attacking Ukraine from the north,” the US State Department said.
The Belarusian Foreign Ministry rejected this. It’s a mix of fantasy and horror stories. During a visit to the south of the country, ruler Alexander Lukashenko said that the 1,500-kilometer border with Ukraine must be reliably protected. “Their current political leadership, which is under external control, sometimes behaves unpredictably and inappropriately,” he said.
Pro-Russian separatists have been fighting the Ukrainian army in eastern Ukraine since 2014. The West accuses Moscow of providing military support to the separatists, which the Kremlin denies. More than 13,000 people have been killed in the conflict.