KIEV (dpa-AFX) – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has announced a reinforcement of the armed forces in the Chernihiv-Kiev direction in the north of the country. Intelligence intelligence findings about Russia’s plans for offensive operations there had been analyzed, he wrote on social media after a staff meeting. Ukraine is preparing responses to any possible scenario of Russia’s actions. He also instructed the Foreign Ministry to prepare additional diplomatic influence on Belarus.
Zelensky has been saying for weeks that Russia is trying to drag Belarus into the war. Moscow wanted to march from Belarusian soil towards Chernihiv-Kiev or even attack one of the NATO countries neighboring Belarus, he claimed at the end of last week. He cited intelligence information and gave no details.
Belarus is considered Russia’s closest ally. When it invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the Russian army also advanced from Belarusian territory towards the Ukrainian capital Kiev.
Kyiv wants information about Moscow’s mobilization steps
Kiev has information about Moscow’s preparations for new mobilization steps, Zelensky said, without providing any evidence. It’s about 100,000 people. Ukraine believes that there is currently no potential for covert mobilization in Russia. Therefore, further political decisions such as those recently made with regard to the Republic of Moldova are to be expected, he said.
Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin last week facilitated the issuance of Russian passports in the separatist region of Transnistria, a narrow strip of land between the Dniester River and Ukraine. The region seceded from the ex-Soviet Republic of Moldova in a war in the early 1990s. The separatist area is not internationally recognized. For Moldova, which is aspiring to join the EU, secession is an unresolved problem. Russia supports Transnistria and has stationed around 1,500 soldiers there, mostly locals with Russian citizenship./ksr/DP/jha