The Kremlin said that Russian strategic exercises conducted on Saturday under the supervision of Vladimir Putin, in the midst of the Russian-Western crisis around Ukraine, had involved firing “ballistic and cruise missiles”.
“The objectives planned during the exercises of the strategic deterrent forces have been fully accomplished, all the missiles have reached the targets set,” the Russian presidency said in a statement.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov, quoted by Russian news agencies Ria Novosti and Interfax, said the drills had begun, with Putin following them with his Belarusian counterpart and ally Alexander Lukashenko.
An “imminent” attack
Russian troops massed on the border with Ukraine are “deploying” and “getting ready to hit” that country, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said during a visit to Lithuania on Saturday.
“They are deploying and getting ready to strike,” the US official said, adding that the Russian military “are moving to the right positions to be able to carry out an attack”.
NATO will strengthen in Eastern Europe in case of Russian attack in Ukraine, warns Kamala Harris
US Vice President Kamala Harris threatened on Saturday to strengthen NATO forces in eastern Europe in the event of an attack on Ukraine by Russia, and warned Moscow that it would expose itself to “severe and swift” economic sanctions.
“We will not stop at economic measures. We will further strengthen our NATO allies on the eastern flank,” she said during a speech at the Munich Security Conference.
The United States says it believes Russia wants to invade Ukraine imminently as clashes on the frontline with pro-Russian separatist territories escalate.
The Kremlin continues to deny any intention of attacking its neighbour, but is demanding guarantees for Russia’s security, such as the withdrawal of NATO from Eastern Europe, which the West clearly refuses.
“Russia continues to say it is ready to negotiate. While at the same time, it is reducing the path of diplomacy,” accused Ms. Harris, stressing that the troop withdrawals announced by the Kremlin did “not correspond to reality” .
The United States has already deployed some 6,000 additional military personnel in Romania, Poland and Germany, she recalled.
Our forces “will not be deployed to fight in Ukraine”, which is not a member of the Atlantic alliance, but “they will defend every inch of NATO territory”, she warned.
