Kyiv.Ukraine.Ukraine Gate – November 3,2021- The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine is closely monitoring the situation near the state border with the Russian Federation and in the temporarily occupied territories of Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk.
“The facts presented by Ukrainian intelligence agencies during the exchange of information with our partners on the security situation throughout Ukraine were confirmed,” the ministry said.
According to the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense (the country’s military intelligence) as of early November 2021, approximately 90 thousand troops (troops) were amassed near the Ukrainian border and in the territories temporarily occupied by Russia.
These include the forces of the 28th Armies of the Southern and Western Military Districts, as well as the forces and means of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. In addition, separate units of the 4th and 6th Armies of the Air Force and the Russian Air Defense Forces are stationed near the Ukrainian border. Two corps of the Russian occupying forces are operating temporarily and are now operating in the occupied territories in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
In the second half of 2021, the command of the Russian Armed Forces near the Ukrainian border conducted a series of large-scale command and staff exercises. They took part in the troops (troops) of the Southern and Western Military Districts, as well as separate units and subdivisions of the 41st Army of the Central Military District and Air Assault Forces. After completing these operational and combat exercises, units and divisions of the 41st Army remained in the European part of Russia, in particular in the Yelnya region, Smolensk region, about 260 km from the border with Ukraine.
The Ministry of Defense notes that Russia periodically resorts to mobilizing and accumulating forces in order to maintain tension in the region and political pressure on neighboring countries.
Politico also published what were reported to be satellite images taken earlier, purporting to confirm recent reports that Russia is again massing troops and military equipment on the border with Ukraine.
Earlier, several sources, including the Washington Post, wrote that in recent weeks, Russia has resumed the transfer of equipment and troops to the border with Ukraine.
The newspaper claimed that the effort began after the Kremlin completed a large-scale joint military exercise with Belarus, Zapad 2021, more than a month ago.
According to the Ukrainian Military Intelligence, as of November 1, no further movement of Russian units, weapons and military equipment to the state border with Ukraine has been recorded.
Commenting on Radio Svoboda, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Oleksiy Danilov denied US media reports about a possible build-up of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine, describing the reports as “deliberate misinformation.”
