Contents tagged with Russia

  • Russia begins large-scale military exercises in annexed Crimea

    Russia will hold exercises of the airborne forces in Crimea and the Krasnodar Krai, TASS reported, citing Russian Defense Ministry.

    The drills will begin on December 23 at the Opuk training ground in Crimea. The paratroopers, artillery, chemical and nuclear defense units will conduct live firing drills. The military will also practice demining a section of the terrain and providing fire support to the troops using drones and air attack weapons.

    "Military personnel will perform live firing …

  • NATO puts its European forces on high alert as Russia amasses troops on Ukrainian borders

    NATO has increased the combat readiness of its Response Force in Europe as Russia continues amassing troops near Ukrainian borders.

    Die Welt reports, citing a senior NATO representative, that a decision to put 40,000-strong NATO Response Force on high alert was made by the North Atlantic Council because of the buildup of Russian forces near the border with Ukraine.

    At the same time, the level of combat readiness of the special forces and logistics services has been increased, and the …

  • Russian Defense Minister accuses the U.S. of preparing chemical attacks in Donbas

    Private military companies from the United States are preparing provocations using chemical weapons in the Donbas, said the Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu at the board meeting of the Russian Defense Ministry.

    According to him, 120 employees of American PMCs arrived in the region and are training Ukrainian special forces soldiers.

    "Tanks with unidentified chemical components were delivered to the towns of Avdiivka and Krasny Liman to carry out provocations," RIA Novosti quoted Shoygu …

  • Lithuania calls on NATO to strengthen its military potential near Russia's borders

    Lithuania called on NATO to deploy troops to Russia's borders, amid continued deployment of Russian troops near Ukrainian borders. "NATO must respond not only by deploying its troops to the eastern front, but also by strengthening its military potential. Strengthening the military potential is good, but we should have an algorithm, what to do in the case of scenario A, scenario B, scenario C," said Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda at a joint press conference with the presidents of Ukraine …

  • Putin threatens NATO with military response if Ukraine is accepted into Alliance

    Russia will give a military-technical response to the West if it continues its policy of aggressive behavior, said Russian President Vladimir Putin at a board meeting of the Defense Ministry.

    According to him, Moscow "has every right" to ensure its security and sovereignty amid the threat of NATO’s expanding military infrastructure, which, if deployed to Ukraine, will reduce the time the enemy missiles can reach Moscow to 7-10 minutes.

    "What is happening now, the tension that is developing in …

  • United States promises Ukraine more weapons in the event of Russian invasion

    The US will provide Ukraine with more military equipment and weapons if Russia launches a full-scale military offensive, said US Charge d'affaires in Ukraine Christine Queen in an interview with Suspilne TV channel.

    Queen noted that military assistance will also be sent to NATO allies in Eastern Europe.

    "If Russia takes unacceptable action against Ukraine, we will also supply Ukraine with more equipment and weapons. Finally, we will ensure that our NATO allies bordering Ukraine are fully …

  • Russia demands an immediate response from USA to its request for ‘security guarantees’

    Russia demands an immediate response from Washington regarding an agreement on "security guarantees", said the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov

    According to him, the United States is trying to convert this demand "into a slow-moving process."

    "We need this urgently, because the situation is very difficult, it is acute, it’s becoming more complex," Ryabkov emphasized.

    He added that Moscow is ready to immediately begin negotiations with the United States and NATO.

    The Kremlin …

  • Kremlin considers 'various options' in response to deployment of U.S. nuclear weapons to Poland

    Russia will take measures to "balance" the situation if NATO deploys nuclear weapons near the country's borders, said Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

    "It's not a secret that, of course, the deployment of various types of [NATO] weapons near our borders, which may pose a danger to us, will require taking appropriate steps,” said Peskov in response to a question about the possibility of deploying Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus. According to him, in such a situation, "a variety …

  • German Vice-Chancellor: Construction of Nord Stream 2 was a mistake

    The construction of the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline was a mistake from a geopolitical point of view, said the Vice-Chancellor of Germany, Federal Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Action, Robert Habeck, in an interview with the newspaper FAZ.

    When asked whether the transition to renewable energy would lead to dependence on Russian gas and the Nord Stream 2 pipeline, Habeck said: "All European countries, except Germany and Austria, have always been against it. And now the gas pipeline has …

  • Russia sends strategic bombers to patrol Belarusian borders

    Russia has sent Tu-22M3 strategic bombers to jointly patrol the western border of Belarus, reported the Belarusian Defense Ministry.

    The Belarusian Defense Ministry said that a joint tactical group of troops, which also includes multifunctional SU-30SM fighters of the two countries, is on combat duty in Belarus.

    The Russian Ministry of Defense also noted that two long-range bombers Tu-22M3 of the Aerospace Forces "performed patrols in the airspace of the Republic of Belarus." It is reported …