Russian troop movements ‘worrying’ officials, Ukraine Defense Ministry says
Picture: AFP
Kyiv. New reports of Russian troop movements are “worrying” officials in Ukraine, a spokesman for the country’s Defense Ministry told Fox News.
The spokesman said officials do not have enough information to support claims the actual troop numbers are increasing, though.
Local social media sites have shown numerous amateur videos purported to show Russian tanks and other heavy armored vehicles on the move in the past few days. They are seen either driving along roads or being transported on trains. In one case, vehicles are shown being off-loaded from flatbed freight trains. The vehicles include mobile communication units.
The locations include Vornezh, a Russian city northeast of the major Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, and Novozybkiv, a Russian city directly north of Kyiv, 50 miles from the Russia-Ukraine border.
The reason for the uptick in activity could be new rounds of military exercises, rotation of troops or for some unspecified reason, the spokesman told Fox News.
Russia accused Ukrainian officials on Wednesday of barring Russian commercial airline crews from going outside their planes in Ukrainian airports. Ukraine denied the allegation.
Tensions between Moscow and Kyiv have been rising since Russian forces occupied the Crimean Peninsula and stayed there throughout the referendum earlier this month where votes overwhelmingly supported Russia’s annexation.
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