London, Wednesday, 23 February 2022 –
On Wednesday, a Russian military convoy was seen heading towards the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine.
Near the Kuibyshevo hamlet in the Rostov area of Russia, a convoy of nearly 200 military vehicles was seen advancing towards the Donbas region's border.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted: "Worrying news from Crimea that the entire night shift of the Titan chemicals complex in Armyansk has been evacuated."
"This could be a warm-up for Russia's next staged provocation." In its attempts to fabricate pretexts for additional attack, Moscow appears to have no bounds."
On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that Moscow will recognize two Ukrainian breakaway areas, Luhansk and Donetsk, as independent republics, and that Russian military would be dispatched to the region to "keep peace."
The pronouncements were widely condemned around the world as violations of the UN Charter and international law, prompting Western governments to impose fresh sanctions on Russia.
Following its invasion of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014, Moscow began supporting separatist forces in eastern Ukraine in their fight against the central government, a tactic it has continued for the following seven years. According to the United Nations, more than 13,000 people have died as a result of the violence.
Putin's latest steps come after Russia amassed more than 100,000 troops and heavy equipment in and around its neighbour, prompting accusations from the US and other Western countries that it was preparing for an invasion.
Russia has denied that it is planning an invasion, instead claiming that NATO's expansion toward its borders has harmed its security.
(Research and edit by: The Decision Maker - International Relations editors)
