Violence erupted in an ongoing standoff in eastern Ukraine, which some fear could lead to wider conflict.
The world’s dignitaries searched for answers, but the suspicions between East-West grew as NATO allies rejected Russian claims that it was withdrawing troops from exercises that had fuelled fears of an attack. Russia is believed have assembled around 150,000 military forces near Ukraine’s borders.
Concerns grew in the West about Russia’s handling of those troops, which comprised an estimated 60% Russia’s total ground forces. Although the Kremlin claims it does not intend to invade, it has always considered Ukraine part its sphere and NATO’s eastward expansion a threat.
The U.S. government gave some of the most explicit and severe warnings about what might happen next.
U.S. Secretary Of State Antony Blinken spoke at the U.N. Security Council and shared some U.S. intelligence conclusions in a strategy the U.S. hopes will reveal and prevent any invasion planning. The U.S. has not revealed much of the evidence supporting its claims.
The diplomats were told by Blinken that Russia would stage a violent, sudden event to justify its invasion. Blinken spoke of a “so called terrorist bombing” in Russia, which he described as a fake drone strike or attack using chemical weapons.
He said that the assault would begin with cyberattacks as well as missiles and bombs throughout Ukraine. Blinken outlined the U.S.’s entry of Russian troops to Kyiv (a city of almost 3 million) and other key targets.
Blinken stated that U.S. intelligence suggested Russia would also target “specific groups”, but he did not give details.
Blinken impliedly nodded to Colin Powell’s 2003 appearance before the Security Council, in which he used unsubstantiated U.S intelligence to justify the U.S. invasion. I’m here today to stop a war.
Biden’s comments about the Russian threat were also unusually grave.
At the White House, he stated that Washington did not see any signs of Russia’s promised withdrawal and that the invasion threat was still “very high” due to Russia moving more troops towards the border with Ukraine rather than pulling them back.
Biden stated that there was “every indication” that Russia is ready to attack Ukraine and go into Ukraine. Biden stated that the U.S. has “reasonable belief” Russia is involved in a falsified flag operationto give them an excuse to enter, but did not offer details.
Biden stated that he did not plan to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin anytime soon.
According to an intelligence source, U.S. officials and European officials were alerted for any Russian attempt to infiltrate the United States. According to the unnamed official, Ukrainian officials shared intelligence with their allies suggesting that the Russians could attempt to attack the Luhansk region in the disputed Donbas on Friday morning to create an excuse to launch military action.
Global financial markets were on edge due to renewed fear of an invasion. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped nearly 600 points or 1.7%. More than 85% were in red in the benchmark S&P 500.
Even without an attack, Russia’s continued pressure on Ukraine has further hampered its fragile economy and put an entire nation under constant strain. Since 2014, Eastern Ukraine has been the scene of fighting that has claimed 14,000 lives. Tensions rose again on Thursday.
Separatist officials in the Luhansk area reported an increase in Ukrainian government bombardment along the tense lines of contact. Rodion Miroshnik, a separatist official, said that rebel forces had returned fire.
The claim was disputed by Ukraine, who claimed that separatists had attacked its forces, but they didn’t fire back. According to the Ukrainian military command, shells struck a kindergarten in Stanytsia Luhanska and injured two teachers. The town was cut off from power.
Yasar Halit, the head of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s monitoring mission, stated that 500 explosions were reported along the contact line between Wednesday night and Thursday. Cevik informed the Security Council that tensions appeared to have eased after the explosions, which were about 30 in number.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the Ukrainian President, tweeted that the “pro-Russian forces” had shelled kindergartens.
Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesperson, responded with the following: “We have repeatedly warned, that the excessive concentrations of Ukrainian armed forces within the immediate vicinity of line of demarcation, combined with possible provocations could pose a terrible risk.”
France and Germany brokered a 2015 agreement that ended the worst fighting. However, regular skirmishes continue and no political solution has been reached.
The West scrambled for ways to prevent or prepare for an invasion.
NATO’s defense ministers discussed ways of bolstering defenses in Eastern Europe while EU leaders debated how to punish Russia for its invasion. Blinken, Vice President Kamala Harris and other diplomatic leaders are heading to Munich for the annual security conference. They will be discussing the crisis in urgent consultations.
China, a key Russian geopolitical allies, has accused Washington of “playing up” and “sensitizing the crisis and escalating tensions.” Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, said that the U.S. must “take seriously and address Russia’s legitimate and reasonable security concerns.”
The U.S. Defense secretary Lloyd Austin asked the Russian troop withdrawal claims at NATO headquarters in Brussels.
“We have seen some of these troops move closer to the border. He said that they see them flying in more combat and support planes. “We see them improve their readiness in Black Sea. We also see them stocking up on blood supplies. These aren’t things you do for fun.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace stated that the West has seen a “rise in troops over the past 48 hours, upto 7,000”
Maxar Technologies, a commercial satellite imaging company, reported that there was continued military activity in the vicinity of Ukraine. It also noted the opening of a new pontoon bridge in Belarus and a new field medical center in Belarus.
Russia claims that the withdrawal, which was announced earlier in the week, will take some time. Major-General Igor Konashenkov, Russian Defense Ministry spokesperson, stated that Russian tanks and infantry units were returning to the Nizhny Novgorod area from drills they had been holding in the Kursk or Bryansk regions of Ukraine. After a 700-kilometer (435 mile) journey, some were already back.
Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. Troops in the area were involved in maneuvers. He said that Russian troops in Belarus have returned to their garrisons. Konashenkov did not mention the number of troops deployed or how many returned.
Russia offered a new diplomacy offer Thursday to the United States, in response to previous offers to negotiate on limiting European missile deployments, military drill restrictions, and other confidence-building measures.
The Foreign Ministry released a response that deplored the West’s inability to meet main Russian security and demand requirements. It also reaffirmed the possibility for Moscow to take unspecified military-technical steps if the U.S. or its allies continue to block its concerns.
It also stated that Russia was open to discussing limits on missile deployments and restrictions on patrol flights of strategic bombers, as well as other confidence-building measures.
Russia also ordered Bart Gorman (the deputy chief of mission at U.S. Embassy Moscow) to leave the country in an “unprovoked”. Russia claimed it was in response the expulsion of a Russian diplomat. It was more likely to be related to the ongoing U.S.-Russian battle over diplomatic staffing in Washington, Moscow, and Ukraine.
