More than 10,000 Russian troops are returning to their permanent bases after drills in the region near Ukraine, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported Saturday.
“A stage of combat coordination of divisions, combat crews, squads at motorized units … has been completed. More than 10,000 military servicemen … will march to their permanent deployment from the territory of the combined arms’ area of drills,” Interfax said, quoting the Russian army.
The Interfax report said the drills were held in Crimea and the southern Russian regions of Rostov and Kuban. Since November, the US has been warning that Russia is planning an invasion of Ukraine based on a troop buildup in the region. But Moscow has strongly denied the charge and points to the increase in US and NATO activity in the region as the source of tensions.
Amid simmering tensions over Ukraine, Russia is seeking security guarantees from the US and NATO and has submitted a list of proposals to Washington. Chief among Russia’s demands is a guarantee that NATO won’t expand further eastward and absorb Ukraine. Russia is also seeking mutual agreements on the deployment of military hardware in Eastern Europe.
The US and Russia have agreed to start negotiations on the security guarantees in January. The withdrawal of Russian troops could be designed to reduce tensions ahead of the talks. In recent weeks, US officials have toned down their rhetoric by only threatening sanctions if Russia invades Ukraine as opposed to making vague statements that could be taken as military threats.
Russia’s pullback is good, negotiations are welcome and will hopefully be productive. NATO activity is a big question and clearly the source for contention…
I also hope, but my hope gets weaker everyday. Neocons/neolibs ($hitlibs) are still working relentlessly to kill any hope for peace. The MSM will make sure any Russian good will is distorted into “Russian aggression.” Why am I so pessimistic? It might be the realization that people in the west believe MSM propaganda no matter how ridiculous. All they need to hypnotize us is sprinkle around the words, “brutal dictator, democracy, WMDs, rebels, and authoritarian.”
I clearly see your points and I understand your pessimism. I also worry about greatly NATO aggressions. If there is such a thing as a trip wire, NATO straddles the wire, none too carefully.
I understand NA as I see the same things you are talking about and it concerns me too.
The MSM will make sure any Russian good will is distorted into “Russian aggression”
Or it’s distorted into something on the lines that our actions and resolve made Russia back down so let’s poke them some more.
“made Russia back down so let’s poke them some more”
That is exactly the danger that troubles me in this story.
It is also neocon/neolib shilling to claim that the Russians backed down, and we got away with this again.
That is not what happened. It is not the message sent, certainly not what we should understand from these events.
This isn’t good news for Amerikas war mongers.
Means nothing. New troops will be rotated into the training bases, if not now, then at some point in the new year. Every military does this. This is not any kind of “pullback”.
Besides which, Russia doesn’t need 150,000+ troops to destroy the Ukrainian military at the contact line. They can use stand-off artillery and missiles and air power for that, and have plenty of time to call up troops and move them to the border if an actual invasion is required.
The important point is that none of the half of the Ukrainian army that is on the contact line have been removed. So absolutely nothing has changed on the ground.
This is only part of the story, and the smaller part.
We see this same thing in American military behavior. Going home is not going home, when they leave behind a base and all the equipment stocked there for a quick return. That is what the old border fortresses were used for in the time of the Sun King and Vauban. This is not a new problem.
So how much did they pack up, and how much is waiting for a fast return?
And while answering that question, apply it to all these American exercises all around Russia too.
The two sides are facing off, and false “never mind” is dangerous. The Americans are aggressive, and the Russians are not backing down.