Ukraine urges swift action to ‘deter’ Russian invasion

Ukraine has called for swift ­action to “deter” Moscow from invasion.

Soldiers take part in NATO military exercises in Adazi, Latvia, on Monday. Picture: AFP

Ukraine has called for swift ­action to “deter” its Soviet-era master Moscow from invasion, saying that a Russian military ­operation could be launched “in the blink of an eye”.

Western countries have raised the alarm over reported Russian military activity near Ukraine, with the US saying it has “real concerns” over a new troop build-up on the border.

“It’s better to act now, not later” to “deter Russia”, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Monday.

“What we are seeing is very ­serious. Russia has deployed a large military force in regions close to Ukraine’s state border.”

He said that Moscow has massed 115,000 troops around Ukraine, on the Crimean peninsula – which Russia annexed in 2014 – and in two eastern regions occupied by pro-Russian separatists.

Tanks, artillery, electronic warfare systems and air and naval forces had also been deployed.

“If Russia decides to undertake a military operation, things will happen in literally the blink of an eye,” Mr Kuleba said.

But he said that Ukraine, whose army has become “incomparably stronger” than when breakaway fighters in 2014 seized the Donetsk and Lugansk regions in a simmering conflict that has claimed more than 13,000 lives, would “fight back”.

Kiev and its Western allies ­accuse Russia of sending troops and arms to support the separatists, claims Moscow denies.

After a rise in violence at the beginning of the year, Russia massed around 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s borders in the spring, raising fears of a major escalation.

Russia later announced a pullback but Ukraine and its US ally said at the time the withdrawal was limited.

Ukraine, the US, NATO and the EU have raised the alarm about new Russian troop movements in recent weeks and warned about a possible invasion.

NATO foreign ministers were to meet later on Tuesday to discuss how to counter the Russian military build-up.

The long-scheduled gathering in Latvia’s capital Riga comes at a volatile moment on NATO’s eastern flank as allies also grapple with a migrant crisis the West says is fuelled by Kremlin-backed Belarus.

“There is not clarity about the Russian intentions but there is an unusual concentration of forces for the second time this year,” NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said during a visit to alliance forces in Latvia.

“We see heavy armour, drones, electronic warfare systems and tens of thousands of combat-ready troops.”

Officials expect talks on ­additional support for Ukraine’s military and potentially strengthening NATO forces arrayed along its eastern wing.

But they point out that NATO-aspirant Ukraine – which will have its Foreign Minister at the two-day meeting – is not covered by the alliance’s collective defence pact.

“We want to leave no question in people’s minds that there will be severe consequences, strategic consequences for Russia, if it pursues the kind of path that we fear it may be on,” a senior US official said. “It’s a question of finding the right signals and the right deterrent posture that in fact leads to a de-escalation rather than an escalation.”

The growing fears around Ukraine come as NATO members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia have faced another threat coming from the east that will be high on the agenda in Riga.

They accuse Moscow’s ally Belarus of funnelling thousands of mainly Middle Eastern ­migrants to their borders in a ­“hybrid attack” as retribution for EU sanctions against Minsk.

AFP