MOSCOW, Feb 15 (Reuters) – About 20 Russian Northern Fleet ships have begun drills in the Barents Sea, in Arctic waters between Russia and Norway, the Interfax news agency reported on Tuesday.
These naval maneuvers take place in a context of extreme tension between Moscow and the West over Ukraine.
Westerners, led by the United States and the United Kingdom, have multiplied alarmist statements in recent days about the imminence of an offensive by Russia, which has deployed more than 100,000 soldiers along the eastern border of Ukraine. and warships in the Black Sea. The Russian army is also conducting joint exercises with Belarus, very close to the northern border of Ukraine, supposed to end on February 20.
The Kremlin once again denounced on Tuesday the “disinformation campaign” and the “baseless hysteria” of the West about a possible Russian attack. The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that part of the troops deployed in Russia in regions bordering Ukraine were returning to their bases after completing their military exercises. (Report Anton Kolodyazhnyy; French version Jean-Stéphane Brosse, edited by Sophie Louet)
click here for restrictions
©2022 Reuters