30 November 2021, Tuesday, 14:43 290

Pentagon Confirms Increase In Number Of Russian Troops On Border With Ukraine

Даша Зубкова

Representative of the U.S. Department of Defense John Kirby confirmed the increase in the number of Russian troops on the border with Ukraine and noted their combined nature.

The U.S. Department of Defense has said this in a statement, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"As for the numbers, I would not evaluate from the rostrum what exactly we see. But I can tell you that we continue to observe the movement. We continue to observe the replenishment of their forces ... You know, these are units of a combined nature. I mean that these are units of various types of troops, which continue to gather on the border with Ukraine or near it," the statement quoted Kirby as saying.

He also called on the leadership of the Russian Federation to be more transparent in their actions and plans of the Russian armed forces.

The Pentagon representative noted that any steps by Russia aimed at escalation would cause serious concern on the part of the United States, as well as allies and partners.

Kirby also commented on the statements of the head of the Belarusian Defense Ministry Viktor Khrenin that Belarus, together with Russia, is going to conduct military exercises on covering the southern borders.

“Countries have the right to conduct any exercises with their partners - and Belarus can declare any plans for cooperation with the Russian Federation. But we emphasize that we do not want to see overly aggressive or destabilizing actions in an already very tense situation,” the Pentagon representative said.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba believes that the decision to invade Ukraine is "on the table" in the Kremlin.

Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg calls on Russia to reduce tensions on the border with Ukraine and warns that further aggression will have serious consequences.

90,000 Russian troops are concentrated in the occupied territories and on the border between Ukraine and Russia.

According to the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi, 2,100 Russian military are fighting in Donbas.