Russia and Belarus have extended military exercises that originally ended on
Sunday (20/2/2022). This was revealed by the Belarusian Ministry of Defense.
According to the ministry, the decision was taken in light of increased
military activity near the outer borders of Russia and Belarus, as well as
due to rising tensions in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine.
As reported by Reuters, the decision by Russia and Belarus will further
intensify pressure on Ukraine, as Western leaders warn of an imminent
Russian invasion.
Nato says Russia has up to 30,000 troops in Belarus and could use them as
part of an invasion force to attack Ukraine, although Moscow denies this.
The past few days have seen shootings in eastern Ukraine, which is largely
controlled by Russian-backed separatists. The shelling was followed by a
buildup of Russian troops - estimated by the West at 150,000 or more - in
the north, east and south of the country.
Russia itself has denied plans to invade Ukraine, despite the deployment of
troops that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says is preparation for a
large-scale conflict.
In an interview with the BBC broadcast on Sunday, Johnson suggested that
Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin may not think logically, so the threat of
sanctions may not be enough to prevent Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"Sanctions may not be enough to deter irrational actors and we have to
accept at this point that Vladimir Putin may be thinking illogically about
this and not seeing disaster ahead," Johnson told the BBC.
Meanwhile, explosions were heard in central Donetsk, a town in the eastern
Donbass region controlled by Russian-backed separatists, a Reuters reporter
said, in addition to heavy shooting elsewhere in the region earlier in the
day.
SMS messages sent to residents of Donetsk urge men to report for military
duty. "The plan we're looking at is for something that could be the biggest
war in Europe since 1945 on just a grand scale," Johnson told the BBC.
