Kremlin to strengthen NATO’s power in Eastern Europe, “acts to escalate tension, can’t sit still” (Comprehensive)

“President Putin, necessary security measures”… 20 Baltic Fleet warships training maneuver

U.S., UK and other Ukrainian embassies withdrawn “hysteria of false information warfare”

(Moscow = Yonhap News) Correspondent Yoo Cheol-jong = Russia criticized the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)’s strengthening of power in Eastern Europe and the United States and other Western countries’ decision to withdraw some employees and their families from embassies in Ukraine.

According to Interfax News, Kremlin spokeswoman Dmitry Peskov pointed out on the 24th (local time) that Western countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, decided to evacuate the non-essential staff of the embassy in Ukraine and the families of diplomats as part of a Western intelligence warfare.

“The US is showing information warfare hysteria by leaking false information,” he said.

It was pointed out that the United States is escalating tensions by spreading false information that Russia will soon invade Ukraine, despite Russia’s repeated objections.

Peskov also criticized NATO, saying that it is also increasing its forces with troops stationed in Eastern Europe because of the crisis in Ukraine, “This is leading to escalating tensions.”

He suggested that there would be a response, saying, “The enhanced NATO activities near our border cannot be neglected by our military responsible for national security.

NATO said earlier on the same day that its allies would send additional ships and fighters to NATO forces stationed in Eastern Europe to strengthen deterrence and defense.

“The supreme commander and head of state (President Vladimir Putin) who determines the country’s foreign policy is taking the necessary measures to ensure that our security is at the necessary level,” Peskov said.

“It is Russia that has proposed security negotiations and consultations (for a diplomatic resolution of the issue),” he said. from the United States),” he said.

US Secretary of State Tony Blincoln agreed to provide a written response to Russia’s security claims this week in talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva on the 21st.

Russia is demanding that former Soviet countries, including Ukraine, be excluded from joining NATO and that the deployment of NATO offensive weapons to neighboring countries is prohibited.

The Russian Baltic Fleet announced that two of its corvettes had set off to participate in the maritime exercise immediately after NATO announced that it had decided to augment and deploy its forces to Eastern Europe.

According to the fleet, two corvettes, including the Stoiki and Soobrazitelni, departed from the Baltic city of Kaliningrad Province facing the Baltic Sea on the same day to participate in the naval exercise of the entire fleet under the command of Naval Commander Nikolai Yevmenov.

He also introduced that the corvette was carrying the Baltic Fleet Marine Corps anti-terrorism team.

Subsequently, the press office of the Russian Western Military District said, “20 warships and support ships belonging to the Baltic Fleet departed from the garrison base for training and headed for the training area in the Baltic Sea.”

“During the maneuvering process, warships will be trained to perform anti-ship and anti-aircraft defense missions, as well as torpedo countermeasures,” the public affairs office said.

The Ministry of Defense of Russia said on the 20th that “a series of exercises will be held in the areas of responsibility of all Russian Navy fleets over January and February.”

The Ministry of National Defense explained that more than 140 ships and support ships, more than 60 military aircraft, more than 1,000 military equipment, and more than 10,000 soldiers will participate in the drills to be held in the Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, Sea of ​​Okhotsk, Northeast Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

It is unusual for the Russian Navy, which consists of four fleets – the North Sea Fleet, the Baltic Fleet, the Black Sea Fleet, and the Pacific Fleet – and the Caspian Fleet – to conduct exercises at once.

Meanwhile, Kremlin spokeswoman Peskov said that the risk of Ukrainian government forces attacking the eastern Donbas region controlled by pro-Russian separatist rebels is significantly greater than before.

He argued that the concentration of forces near the Donetsk People’s Republic and Lugansk People’s Republic of the Donetsk People’s Republic of the Donbas region, where the Ukrainian government forces declared secession and independence, proves their readiness to attack.

The Donetsk People’s Republic of Korea Civil Service also said on the same day that it had obtained information that government forces were preparing to attack Donbas.