It may be a total head fake and part of a misinformation campaign, but the Russians are claiming some of their troops that have been moved up to Ukraine’s border are now heading back to their bases.
If so, it could be seen as a big win for President Biden in staring down a major military crisis with President Putin of Russia.
We don’t know the reasons for the pull back, if it is happening. Possibly some combination of fear of the threatened sanctions by Biden and the lack of will among Russians to slaughter their brother Slavs. Maybe there is a backroom deal.
www.usatoday.com/…
That muddied efforts to determine the significance of the announcement, which buoyed world financial markets and the long-suffering ruble after weeks of escalation in Europe's worst East-West standoff in decades. It came a day after Russia's foreign minister indicated the country was ready to keep talking about the security grievances that led to the Ukraine crisis — a gesture that changed the tenor after weeks of tensions.
Yet hours before the Russian Defense Ministry statement about the troops, a U.S. defense official said Russian units were moving closer to the Ukrainian border – not away from it. And Western officials continued to warn Tuesday that the Russian military could attack at any time, with some floating Wednesday as a possible invasion day.
Tuesday, Feb 15, 2022 · 4:19:09 PM +00:00 · mastergardener2k
NATO Has Not Confirmed Pullback
www.nytimes.com/...
Live Updates: Putin Says Russia Is Partially Pulling Back Troops From Around Ukraine
The announcement was a sign that Russia might be trying to de-escalate the military standoff on the Ukrainian border. Although Putin said Russia was “ready to continue on the negotiating track,” it was far from clear that the threat of war had passed.
www.cnn.com/…
“What's important is that we try to verify based on the fact that we've seen other instances in the past where Russia has claimed to be de-escalating and in fact, facts on the ground didn't prove that to be true,” Ambassador Julianne Smith, US permanent representative to NATO, said earlier today.
