Russia moves nearly 5,000 troops, special forces, missiles, and air defence assets to Belarus, US at UN Security Council reports

February 1, BPN. Russia is ready to increase its presence on the Belarusian-Ukrainian border, US Representative to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield said on January 31 at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Ukraine.

She stated that Russia has already “moved nearly 5,000 troops into Belarus, with short-range ballistic missiles, special forces, and anti-aircraft batteries.” Washington is convinced that by early February Russia “intends to expand that presence to more than 30,000 troops near the Belarus-Ukraine border, less than two hours north of Kyiv.”

So far, according to the US diplomat, Russia has “assembled a massive military force of more than 100,000 troops along Ukraine’s border.” “These are combat forces and special forces prepared to conduct offensive actions into Ukraine,” Thomas-Greenfield said. She stressed that this was the largest mobilization of troops in Europe in decades.

Moreover, according to the US representative, Russia is spreading disinformation through state-owned media and pro-government websites, “attempting, without any factual basis, to paint Ukraine and Western countries as the aggressors to fabricate a pretext for attack.”