The Kremlin's latest statements out Friday amid the potential new Ukraine crisis which has seen a serious flare-up in fighting in the Donbass region, along with what appears to be far bigger-than-usual troop movements on Russia's side of the border, has raised the stakes further.
Russia has vowed it will take "extra measures to ensure its own security" should it observe any deployment of NATO troops inside Ukraine, the Kremlin statement said Friday according to Reuters.
It firmly warned against any potential looming NATO troop movements following Brussels voicing concern the day prior over the widespread reports and videos purporting to show a significant Russian build-up of forces along Ukraine's eastern border.
Reuters reports Russia's Friday statement and "warning" as follows:
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Friday that the situation at the contact line in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatist forces was quite frightening and that multiple "provocations" were taking place there.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Thursday spoke with his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrii Taran, and "condemned recent escalations of Russian aggressive and provocative actions in eastern Ukraine," the Pentagon said.
"Our rhetoric [over Donbass] is absolutely constructive," Peskov said in response to journalists' questions. "We do not indulge in wishful thinking. Regrettably, the realities along the engagement line are rather frightening. Provocations by the Ukrainian armed forces do take place. They are not casual. There have been many of them."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the Russian troop movements across the border, calling the situation "muscle-flexing" likely to lead to "provocations" for which Ukraine's army is "ready"...
It was exactly a week ago that fighting in Donetsk grabbed international headlines once again when four Ukrainian national troops were killed, which Kiev promptly blamed on Russia-backed separatists. However, the Donetsk People’s Republic claimed it wasn't the result of a direct exchange of fire, but due to inspecting a minefield.
Ukraine's parliament followed by announcing a sharp "escalation" in the east - a contested region which has seen 14,000 deaths going back to 2014, and the country's military leadership put the armed forces on high alert.
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