In a rare public statement, Britain’s Defense Intelligence Chief Jim Hockenhull said additional armored vehicles, helicopters and a field hospital were seen moving towards Ukraine’s borders, a day after Russia declared that would be withdrawing his troops.
Also on Wednesday (16), Estonia declared that military groups were approaching to occupy “key ground”, which led to the issuance of a statement by the United States.
“There’s what Russia says. And there’s what Russia does. And we haven’t seen any pullbacks in their forces,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an interview with MSNBC. “We continue to see critical units moving towards the border, not away from the border.”
Estonian intelligence monitors about ten troops moving towards the border with Ukraine, about 170,000 troops are already deployed, according to the director general of the Estonian Foreign Intelligence Service, Mikk Marran. The attack would include missile bombing and the occupation of “key land”, he added.
“If Russia is successful in Ukraine, it would encourage it to increase pressure on the Baltic countries in the coming years,” said the director. “The threat of war has become Putin’s main political tool.”
Yesterday, Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces were retreating after exercises in southern and western military districts near Ukraine.
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