The #UK is "becoming aware of a significant number of individuals that are assessed to be associated with Russian military advance-force operations and currently located in #Ukraine" - defence minister @JSHeappey
via @haynesdeborah
Kremlin expresses 'great concern' over #US troops on alert - AFP
Head of the #LPR People's Militia Department Leshchenko: "Today's situation is more reminiscent of the pre-war situation"
Russian, French leaders to discuss situation in #Ukraine on phone before end of week. Tomorrow, a Normandy-format (France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine) meeting of political advisers is going to take place in Paris - Kremlin
More weird comments from the Kremlin today:
Kremlin says #US move to put troops on alert does not affect talks, current stage of talks is completed
From December 2020:
"The Russian National Guard (Rosgvardia) & the Belarusian Interior Ministry officially signed a cooperation deal...Under the deal, Rosgvardia is allowed to conduct legal law-enforcement operations throughout Belarus." warsawinstitute.org/russias-rosgva…
Combat readiness inspection kicks off in #Russia’s south: 6000 Russian servicemen of the Southern Military District were put on high alert over drill alarm and dispatched to their deployment areas tass.com/defense/1392741
Croatian President Milanovic says his country will withdraw their servicemen from #NATO forces in Eastern Europe in case of a war between #Ukraine and #Russia ria.ru/20220125/nato-…
#Russia has not created a single strike group, which would indicate the preparation of an offensive against #Ukraine - Ukraine's Defense Minister Alexei Reznikov censor.net/ua/news/331191…
Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs has prepared a draft law "ensuring the safety of foreign citizens who have arrived en masse on the territory of #Russia" to prepare for situations similar to the exodus of Ukrainian citizens to #Russia in 2014 tass.ru/obschestvo/135…
From December last year:
Russian authorities have published new regulations on the expedited mass burial of humans and animals who die as a result of military conflicts or noncombatant emergencies. The regulations will take force as of February 1, 2022. rferl.org/a/russia-mass-…
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says #NATO will not deploy NATO combat troops in #Ukraine
Lukashenko calls to create task force to protect border with #Ukraine: "I am forced to do that because the situation at the border with Ukraine is no easier than that with the Poles"
Lukashenko: Belarusian security forces have foiled attempts of smuggling weapons at the Belarusian-Ukrainian border
"Western countries use allegations about threats from Russia as a pretext to keep on pumping Ukraine up with weapons & pushing it toward provocations fraught with civilian deaths in its eastern regions" - Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Gennady Kuzmin
#UK has begun to withdraw staff from its Embassy in #Ukraine - BBC
#EU is not following the #US in withdrawing its diplomats families from #Ukraine. Top diplomat Borrell says there is no need to "dramatise" the situation while talks with #Russia continue
A source close to the Ukrainian government told CNN that the #US has informed #Ukraine that it is "likely to start evacuations as early as next week" of the families of diplomats from the embassy in #Kyiv - CNN
#Ukraine warns #Russia has 'almost completed' build-up of forces near border. According to the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's latest intelligence assessment, Russia has now deployed more than 127,000 troops in the region edition.cnn.com/2022/01/18/eur…
Ukrainian military says "additional tactical groups of 'Iskander' operational-tactical missiles" have been transferred to the border, bringing the total number of Iskanders near #Ukraine to 36.
#Russia thins out its embassy in #Ukraine:
In early January, the gradual departure process has started in the Russian Embassy in #Kyiv and consulate in Lviv. Diplomats at two other Russian consulates have been told to prepare to leave Ukraine - NYT nytimes.com/2022/01/17/us/…
Military equipment spotted near #Brest, #Belarus this morning:
Train with Russian military equipment spotted in Orsha, #Belarus this early morning.
via @MotolkoHelp