Staff discuss threats on borders with Belarus and Moldova

The situation on Ukraine’s borders was among the items on the agenda when the Staff of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief met on 23 February.

Source: Oleksii Danilov, Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, on a 24-hour newscast; Interfax-Ukraine

Quote from Danilov: "A meeting of the Staff was held today. There were representatives who are located directly on the borders with Belarus and Moldova. The movements that they are making on the borders with the Chernihiv region have nothing to do with the offensive."

Details: Regarding Moldova, Danilov offered this clarification: "One of our intelligence agencies reported the coup that they planned and informed our president, who informed the president of Moldova." 

According to Danilov, "the Russians could not take advantage of the moment, but this does not mean they will not try to seize power there, in the area of Moldova."

"It is important for them that we divert some of the troops to this area. Because if a point of instability appears there, we will have to react to it," Danilov said.

Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry claimed that Kyiv had "ramped up preparations to invade" Transnistria (the unrecognised "Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic"), alleging that "concentrations of troops and military equipment belonging to Ukrainian units" had been spotted near the border, that Ukraine had "deployed artillery" within firing range from the territory, and that there is an "unprecedented increase in unmanned aircraft sorties by the Ukrainian Armed Forces over the territory of the Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic".

Despite the fact that Moldovan authorities have denied the statement, the Russian Defence Ministry continues to claim that the "Ukrainian Armed Forces will carry out this operation in response to the alleged Russian offensive mounted from the territory of Transnistria". This, the Russian Defence Ministry said, was "an immediate threat to the Russian peacekeeping mission" in Transnistria.

The Russian Ministry of Defence made these announcements on the eve of the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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