Moscows announcement that some troops are withdrawing from near the border with Ukraine has sparked a media storm As Western leaders and
Moscow’s announcement that some troops are withdrawing from near the border with Ukraine has sparked a media storm As Western leaders and pundits issued fresh warnings that a Russian invasion of Ukraine could take place at any moment, and a number of countries evacuated personnel from their embassies in Kiev, Moscow’s Ministry of Defense announced on Tuesday that some of the forces it has deployed near the Ukrainian border have begun withdrawing to their bases. But is the pullback a sign that the months-long standoff could finally be winding down? What troops? Reports that the US believed there was a Russian plan to attack Ukraine first began circulating in November last year, and despite repeated denials from Moscow that it had any aggressive intentions, fears of an invasion picked up steam over the following weeks and have hit fever pitch in recent days. They have been fueled partly by a steady drip of releases from US President Joe Biden’s White House and State Department, as well as from the British government, with ‘declassified intelligence reports’ alleging various Russian plans for military action and regime change in Ukraine. Analysts have also pointed to reports of a buildup of more than 100,000 Russian soldiers near the two nations’ border, and the deployment of more troops to neighboring Belarus for large-scale joint military exercises, which some officials have warned could be preparation for a two-pronged assault. Biden has said that he will not send American forces in to fight Russia in the event of war, but the US and the EU have threatened massive economic sanctions on Moscow if it attacks. As recently as this weekend, the UK claimed that it had knowledge of a Russian plan to use its FSB security agency to stage coups in major Ukrainian cities following an all-out conflict, and Jake Sullivan, national security adviser to Biden, told CNN on Sunday that « major military action » could begin « any day now. » The Ukrainian government has received hundreds of millions of dollars in aid and military assistance from the West during this time, but the country’s economy has suffered amid anticipation of an invasion. In recent weeks, leaders from Kiev have urged people not to panic, saying that Russia is a threat, but that they do not believe an attack is likely in the near future. On Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky publicly requested evidence to support Western media reports that Russia was planning to attack on February 16, insisting that « everything is under control » and that diplomacy was the best solution to the current crisis.
