Russia Expands Military Drills Near Ukraine; Invasion Any Time, Says NATO

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Moscow / Donetsk: Russia and Belarus extends military training which will expire on Sunday, Defense Minister Belarus said, in one step that intensified the pressure on Ukraine when Western leaders warned Russian invasion that will soon emerge.
The decision to extend the exercise was taken because of military activity near the Russian and Belarus borders and the increasing situation in the East Ukrainian Donbass area, the Belarus defense ministry said in a statement.

NATO said Russia had up to 30,000 soldiers in Belarus and could use it as part of the invasion power to attack Ukraine, which is located in the south of Belarus. Moscow denied such intentions.

The Kremlin does not comment on Belarus’s exercises.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said repeated warnings in the west that Russia would attack provocative Ukrainians and could have adverse consequences, without providing details.

Russia and its allies said Ukraine and the West gave rise to tension by sending the NATO reinforcements to Eastern Europe.

Defense Minister Belarus Viktor Khrenin said the focus of the expanded exercise was “to ensure an adequate response and de-escalation of poor military preparations near the border with us.”

Western countries are preparing the sanctions they say they will reach Russian companies and individuals in the event of an invasion.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in the BBC interview broadcast on Sunday that the sanctions would “hit very very difficult,” and could include restrictions on Russian business access to the dollar and pound.

However, he acknowledged the threat may not prevent Moscow.

We must accept at this time that (Russian President) Vladimir Putin might think Ilogly about this and not see the disaster in front,” Johnson said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said West must impose several sanctions now, rather than waiting for the invasion.

“Russia must be stopped now. We see how events take place,” Kuleba said.

The focus of tensions in the past few days has been in the East Ukrainian pan confiscated by Russia-backed rebels in 2014, the same year Russia annexed the Crimea from Ukraine. More than 14,000 people were killed in the east conflict.

The shooting incident across the line separating government and separatist forces – which sporadically in the past – increased sharply last week.

On Sunday, a Reuters reporter heard the explosion in the center of Donetsk in the East Donbass region which was controlled by separatists. The heavy shooting was heard elsewhere in the region.

The SMS message sent to Donetsk’s residents urged men to report military duties.

More than 30,000 people from Donetsk and Luhansk nearby have crossed the Russian border in the last 24 hours, the Tass news agency said, quoting authorities in the Russian Rostov area. The separatists began to evacuate residents on Friday saying that Ukraine planned to attack – which was rejected by Kyiv.