TASS, citing a statement from the Southern Military District, reports this morning that the first motorcade of a logistic support unit has crossed the Crimean Bridge on the way back to its permanent base in the Southern Military District after drills in Crimea. Also the Defense Ministry reported that a train carrying combat vehicles and other heavy equipment crossed the bridge this morning. Once back at the permanent bases, the military equipment will be maintained and prepared for the next round of combat training, the Defense Ministry said. These movements followed the announcement yesterday by Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov that Russian troops would be returning to their garrisons following the completion of exercises. (https://eng.mil.ru/en/news_page/country/more.htm?id=12409132@egNews)
The responses to Konashenkov’s announcement run from: “they say one thing but are doing the opposite"; to “we’ll believe it when we see it"; to “we helped make it happen.” ABC News posted late yesterday an article claiming that while the Russian Defense Ministry had said some troops were going back home, sources in the Biden administration were telling the news network that the opposite was happening, that they were moving into attack positions. The U.S. believes that Russia now has all the necessary pieces in place, including 150,000 troops in the region, to launch a swift and brutal invasion of Ukraine, the sources added, reported ABC.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, during a press conference yesterday ahead of today’s NATO defense ministers meeting, said, “So far we have not seen any de-escalation on the ground, not seen any signs of reduced Russian military presence on the borders of Ukraine. But we will continue to monitor and to follow closely what Russia is doing.”
