Ukraine conflict: Russia is massing troops on a lightly protected section of the border

Created: 01/30/2022Updated: 01/30/2022 08:54

By: Daniel Dillman

Russia is relocating more and more army units to Belarus.

More than 1000 kilometers of border are becoming a risk for Ukraine.

• In the conflict with Ukraine, Russia* is assembling more and more troops in the border region.

• According to information from the USA*, Russia has assembled enough military forces on the border with Ukraine to be able to take over the entire country.

  US President Joe Biden* has announced that he will be moving more troops to Eastern Europe.

• Diplomacy in the Ukraine Crisis.

  Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock* wants to travel to Kiev in a few days.

  Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan* invites Russia's President Vladimir Putin* to Turkey.

• All information and news about the Ukraine conflict in our current live ticker.

+++ Update from Sunday, January 30th, 2022, 8.45 a.m .:

Russia is expanding its military presence in Belarus.

The country shares a border with Ukraine that is more than 1,000 kilometers long.

Kiev, the Ukrainian capital, is only around 140 kilometers from the border.

According to information from the New York Times, the Russian military has been collecting tanks, helicopters, missile systems and troops in the neighboring country for weeks.

According to the Kremlin, the Russian army is only present in Belarus for military exercises.

Much of Ukraine's military is concentrated on the eastern border with Russia.

The Ukrainian army has been involved in fighting with Russian separatists there for eight years now.

The country's northern border with Belarus is correspondingly poorly protected.

"As a result of Russia taking control of Belarus, 1,070 kilometers of our border became a threat," said Oleksii Reznikov, Minister of Defense of Ukraine.

It is not a Belarusian threat, Ukraine has "a very warm attitude towards the Belarusian people".

The threat arises from "Russia moving through Belarus."

A photo released by the Russian Defense Ministry shows Russian army transports in Belarus near the border with Ukraine.

© Uncredited Handout/dpa

++ Ukraine conflict: USA sends troops - Baerbock tries to defuse the crisis

++ 5.30 p.m .:

Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (Greens) and her French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian want to travel to Ukraine together in a few days.

The visit to Kiev is about "our commitment to the inviolability of Ukraine" and solidarity with the people there, Baerbock wrote on Twitter on Saturday.

Le Drian had recently announced via Twitter that he would be traveling to Ukraine with Baerbock on February 7th and 8th.

Baerbock did not give a date for the trip.

Germany and France are trying to defuse the Ukraine crisis as part of the so-called Normandy format.

This is a contact group made up of Germany, France, Ukraine itself and Russia.

Bütikofer: 5,000 helmets for Ukraine "at best embarrassing"

++ 5.15 p.m .:

The former co-chairman of the Greens*, Reinhard Bütikofer, has criticized German support for Ukraine in the conflict with Russia by supplying 5000 military helmets.

"I would say: The 5000 helmets - that's embarrassing at best," Bütikofer told the Phoenix broadcaster.

"I'm not one of those who say all the time that we have to deliver weapons," said Bütikofer. "I think it's right to be cautious." With regard to the behavior of the federal government in the conflict, the current MEP sees a great need for discussion. "We still have a difficult discussion ahead of us, not just us Greens, but Germany as a whole," said Bütikofer. It is "tangible that there is a great deal of distrust in other European capitals and also in the USA towards the current foreign policy not only of the Federal Chancellor, but also of the new opposition leader."

Bütikofer called for Germany's economic strength to be used in the conflict.

The federal government must "make very clear to Russia with the things where we are strong - and that is the economy - that the price will be high if Putin gets involved in this aggressive maneuver that he has been threatening for months," he said .

This is "the crucial contribution that we can make".

Ukraine conflict: US sends troops - warns Russia of "terrible consequences"

++ 1:08 p.m .:

Joe Biden keeps the pressure on Russia. The US President announced that he would send more troops to NATO member states in Eastern Europe. "In the near future" the military presence near Russia will be increased, Biden told the press. The US President did not provide any more precise information about a point in time, the size of the units or their type.

His highest general, in turn, warned of an escalation of the situation on the Ukrainian border.

General Mark Milley warned of the "terrible consequences" that a Russian attack on Ukraine would have on the entire world.

"If you look at the kind of troops they have amassed - if that were unleashed on Ukraine the damage would be great, very great and [an attack] would mean a great number of casualties." Milley also spoke up among other things, for a diplomatic solution to the conflict.

Lukashenko is firmly on Russia's side in the Ukraine conflict

++ 10:00 a.m.:

President Alexander Lukashenko has promised Russia support from Belarus in the Ukraine conflict.

Should Russia be attacked, Belarus would host "hundreds of thousands of soldiers" from the Russian army.

A number of Russian troops are already in neighboring Belarus, which shares a long border with Ukraine.

Lukashenko, who is considered a close ally of Vladimir Putin, said in a televised address: "Belarus goes to war if our ally Russia is attacked."

Ukraine conflict: Russia brings blood bags for soldiers to the border

++ Update, 7:55 a.m .:

In the Ukraine conflict, both parties continue to accuse each other of an escalation course.

President Vladimir Putin criticized NATO and the US in a conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron.

The West is ignoring the security concerns that Russia formulated in a letter to NATO in relation to Ukraine.

The Kremlin announced this on Friday.

First report:

Russia - The number of army units on the border with Ukraine is increasing again.

According to the Pentagon, Russia now has enough soldiers on site to be able to take over the entire territory of Ukraine in the event of an attack.

According to information from the Reuters news agency, the expansion of Russia's military capacities at the border also includes a large amount of blood for possibly wounded soldiers.

The news agency learned from circles in the US Department of Defense.

The relocation of medical materials, combined with the increase in ammunition depots at the border, are increasing fears of a possible attack by Russia.

The Russian Defense Ministry would neither deny nor confirm the information.

According to the Pentagon, the Russian build-up of military forces on the border with Ukraine is “almost complete”.

Ukraine conflict: US warns against Russia and sends troops to NATO member states

In response to the tense situation on the border between Ukraine and Russia, US President Joe Biden* announced that US troops would be strengthened in the Eastern European NATO member states. More units will be relocated to the regions in the foreseeable future. The Pentagon has already put around 8,500 US soldiers on standby who could be sent to Europe for a possible deployment.

However, the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj is now taking a different path.

He appealed to the West not to escalate the situation with Russia any further and warned against panic over developments at the border.

"We don't need this panic," said Selenskyi at a press conference.

He criticized "all the warnings that the war will start tomorrow", some of which come from "respected leaders of the world".

"That's scaremongering - what will it cost our state?" Zelenskyi asked.

He continues to hope for the ongoing international negotiations.

Ukraine conflict: talks planned between leaders and Putin

They are running at full speed and on numerous levels.

Several government representatives and heads of state have announced that they will seek talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the coming days and weeks.

Britain's* Prime Minister Boris Johnson* will travel to Russia as early as next week to meet Putin there.

"He will reiterate during his meeting with President Putin this week that Russia must step down and engage diplomatically," a UK government spokesman said.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan*, President of Turkey*, also announced an upcoming meeting with Putin.

Bilateral negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, on the other hand, are still on hold.

But the two parties should soon be talking again.

At least that's what Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants.

He is ready for a top-level meeting, the President of Ukraine said.

(dil/rtr)