NATO says Russia’s military build-up along the border with Ukraine is creating a “dangerous situation.”
“We’re not going to guess what’s on Russia’s mind, but we can see what Russia is doing on the ground – and that is of great concern…. This is a dangerous situation,” the military alliance said in a statement.
It expressed concern that Russia may use “the pretext of a humanitarian or peace-keeping mission as an excuse to send troops into eastern Ukraine.”
The statement said the Russian build-up “further escalates” the volatile situation on the ground and “undermines efforts” for the settlement of Russia-Ukraine dispute.
According to NATO, Russia has deployed roughly 20,000 troops along the border with Ukraine.
Russia says the humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine is disastrous.
A United Nations official warned on Tuesday that the humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine is getting worse on a daily basis as the war between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russians rages on.
John Ging, the director of UN humanitarian operations, said the humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine is steadily deteriorating as fighting has caused significant damage to the region’s infrastructure, and has impaired access to power and water supplies and basic services.
Ukraine’s mainly Russian-speaking regions have witnessed deadly clashes between pro-Russia protesters and the Ukrainian army since the government in Kiev launched military operations in mid-April in a bid to crush the pro-Russia protests. The United Nations says at least 1,129 people have been killed in the military campaign.
The fighting has intensified in east Ukraine since July 17, when a Malaysian airliner carrying 298 people on board was downed in the Donetsk region with Kiev and pro-Russians accusing each other of being behind the tragedy.
Rather than regret that the situation is dangerous now, why didn’t they consider that could result before they plunged Ukraine into violent turmoil?