NATO is calling Putin out for Russian propaganda suggesting they are deescalating and withdrawing troops from Ukraine’s border:
NY POST – Russia on Wednesday attempted to prove its forces were being withdrawn from Ukraine’s borders — but NATO remained unconvinced, instead insisting the Kremlin was actually still secretly beefing up its threatening presence.
The Russian Defense Ministry released a video showing a trainload of armored vehicles moving across a bridge away from Crimea, the Black Sea peninsula that Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014.
The move was heralded as proof that the Kremlin was sticking to its promise to return forces to their permanent bases — and on the day Western officials have eyed as a likely invasion date.
However, the Russian military offered few details, including how many troops or weapons were being withdrawn.
And NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg insisted Wednesday that there was still no proof — and warning that intelligence suggested the opposite.
“So far, we have not seen any de-escalation on the ground,” Stoltenberg told reporters ahead of a two-day meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.
“On the contrary, it appears that Russia continues their military build-up,” he said.
“What we see is that they have increased the number of troops, and more troops are on the way.”
Today was supposed to be the day that Russia invades Ukraine. I guess it could still happen, but I suspect Putin rather enjoys keeping the world on edge as he continues his troop buildup.
As I said yesterday, I think Putin is just playing mind games with the West. But clearly no one is buying it, with both the US and Britain saying they also see no evidence of withdrawal.
Putin continues to mock the invasion warnings as hysteria, however, and the foreign minister in Belarus is saying that Russian troops will leave the country on Sunday after their maneuvers are done.