Tensions around Ukraine escalated as NATO put its forces on high alert and
Western media accused Russia of being ready to "invade" Ukraine.
Moscow denies the accusations and insists on its sovereign right to deploy
troops within its own territory as NATO's expansion is underway eastward.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the large buildup of Ukrainian troops
in the Donbass contact line showed Kiev was preparing for an attack.
"Indeed, the Ukrainian authorities concentrated a large number of troops and
equipment on the border with the self-proclaimed republics in the line of
contact. Indeed, the nature of this concentration pointed to preparations
for offensive operations, and, indeed, there is such a threat now," Peskov
stressed. on Monday (24/1/2022).
He said in this case, Moscow would like to see NATO countries urge Kiev not
to think about a possible military settlement in Ukraine.
According to Peskov, the delivery of every unit of weapons to Ukraine
inspired Kiev to start a military operation in Donbass.
"The threat of provocation from Kiev in the Donbass is now very high, even
higher than before," said a Kremlin spokesman. Dmitry Peskov also points to
information hysteria in the West, not Russia, which is to blame for rising
tensions around Ukraine.
He was backed by Denis Pushilin, the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk
People's Republic (DPR) in Eastern Ukraine, who said earlier on Monday that
Kiev was moving artillery and tanks to the Donbass contact line.
“The nature of the actions taken by Ukraine (indicates that) this was
preparation for an attack. I'm talking about the fact that equipment is
being brought (to the line of contact), tank crews are being prepared, and
artillery and tank crews are concentrated in the places where they are
assigned," Pushilin told broadcaster Rossiya 1.
Pushilin added that the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic of Donetsk
"is on high alert because anything Kiev can do." He was speaking as NATO
announced it was putting its forces on alert and sending more ships and
fighter jets to alliance deployment sites in Eastern Europe.
The move according to NATO was due to "Russia's purported continued military
build-up in and around Ukraine." The deployment comes amid accusations by
Western officials and the media that Russia is amassing troops on the border
with Ukraine, ostensibly in preparation for an "invasion".
Russia categorically rejects the accusations, stressing that it can move
troops on its own territory at its discretion, especially amid NATO's
continued expansion eastward.
Moscow also accuses the West of artificially raising tensions and possibly
inciting Ukraine to try to resolve the conflict in the eastern Donbass
region by force.
In a bid to ease tensions, Russia's Foreign Ministry published a security
guarantee proposal in mid-December urging the US and NATO to halt the bloc's
eastward expansion.
Russia proposed a number of measures, including legally binding restrictions
on the deployment of troops, missile systems, aircraft and warships in areas
where they could be perceived as a threat to others.
