Russia Is Continuing to Build Up Forces Near Ukraine, NATO Chief Says

[dalton99a]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/russia-says-troops-withdraw-from-crimea-but-u-s-warns-ukraine-invasion-still-possible-11645007072

Russia Is Continuing to Build Up Forces Near Ukraine, NATO Chief Says
Alliance sees no de-escalation after Moscow says troops are leaving Crimea; U.S. earlier flagged Wednesday as possible date of attack
By Yaroslav Trofimov and Thomas Grove in Kyiv, Ukraine, and Ann M. Simmons in Moscow
Updated Feb. 16, 2022 7:29 am ET

Russia is continuing its military buildup around Ukraine, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s secretary-general said Wednesday, even as Moscow announced that it began drawing down some of its troops and released footage of tanks and armored personnel carriers being removed from the Crimean Peninsula.

On Wednesday, the day on which some U.S. intelligence officials had said a Russian invasion was likely to occur, Ukrainians rallied across the country in a display of solidarity and defiance, raising the national flag and singing the anthem in morning ceremonies. The country was rattled by a cyberattack the previous night that targeted two of its biggest banks, temporarily disrupting payments and showing zero balances on accounts.

“We have heard the signs from Moscow about readiness to continue diplomatic efforts,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said as defense ministers from the alliance’s 30 member states gathered in Brussels. “But so far, we have not seen any de-escalation on the ground. On the contrary, it appears that Russia continues its military buildup.”

U.S. officials on Monday said the Russian military presence near Ukraine had grown to 105 battalion tactical groups, up from 83 groups earlier this month. Russia has also moved around 500 combat aircraft within range of Ukraine and has 40 combat ships in the Black Sea, according to U.S. officials.

[Scrivener7]

1. You mean they lied? I'm shocked! Shocked, I tell you!

[Bettie]

2. Me too!

It is unlikely that they are just packing up and going home.

[SheltieLover]

5. Me three!

[C_U_L8R]

3. Russia's belligerence is only making things worse for themselves.

Nothing says pariah more than threatening your neighbors and then lying about. Even without sanctions, they're making themselves more outcast everyday. Putin is hurting Russia more than anyone.

[DFW]

4. Just another round of VVP's "military exercises."

Nothing to get alarmed over. If their maps should be a little off, and their exercises end up with the Red Army on the western and southern borders of Ukraine, well, sorry, we must have miscalculated.

"OOPS! We'll be outta here in less time than it takes to set up a puppet occupation government. Promise!!"

[LetMyPeopleVote]

6. Who is surprised by this?

Putin lied yesterday