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Russia is reportedly amassing thousands of troops at its border with Ukraine, but the Kremlin denies that the buildup poses a threat. Is Ukraine facing the possibility of a Russian invasion?

The United States and EU are watching reports of Russian troop movements on Ukraine’s border with increasing concern. NATO has assured Kyiv that the alliance will continue to support the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and monitor the situation closely.

The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, has also given Ukraine’s government his assurances. Germany and France, which are mediating between Kyiv and Moscow in the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine as part of the so-called Normandy Format, have made similar pledges.

In a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, President Joe Biden recently affirmed the US’s unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of Russia’s ongoing aggression in the Donbass and Crimea.”

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called on the Kremlin to unwind its recent military buildup near eastern Ukraine, the chancellor’s office announced in a statement released Thursday.

But reports of Russian troop deployments to the regions of Bryansk, Voronezh, and Rostov, as well as the annexed Crimean Peninsula, are circulating on social media. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov has insisted that Russia, “moves its armed forces within its own territory at its own discretion,” adding that this, “shouldn’t worry anyone and does not pose a threat to anyone.”

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russia is building up armed forces near Ukraine’s borders. The deployment of the additional Russian troops across the country should not concern other states since this does not pose any threat to them, said Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

“The Russian Federation deploys the Armed Forces on its soil as it wants to. This should not concern anyone and this is not posing any threat to anyone,” Peskov added.

Moscow is taking “all the necessary measures to ensure the security of its frontiers,” he stressed. Peskov noted that “the Russian troops have never taking part and are not participating in armed conflicts on Ukraine’s soil.”

Aktuell entsendet die russische Armee massive Militärverbände in Richtung Ukraine. Sowohl auf der Krim als auch östlich des Donbas werden Truppen zusammengezogen. Auch die Luftwaffe verlegt nahe der Ukraine. Die USA haben du zudem verdächtige Funksprüche abgefangen.#PutinImKrieg pic.twitter.com/ubNeJG0lzq

— Julian Röpcke (@JulianRoepcke) March 31, 2021

Russia has warned Nato against sending any troops to help Ukraine, amid reports of a large Russian military build-up on its borders. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia would take “additional measures” if Nato were to make such a move.

Sporadic, low-level clashes continue in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian troops and Russian-backed separatists.

US forces in Europe are now on higher alert, citing “escalations of Russian aggression” in the area. A Nato official told Reuters news agency that Russia was undermining efforts to reduce tensions in eastern Ukraine and Nato ambassadors had met on Thursday to discuss the situation.

“Allies share their concerns about Russia’s recent large-scale military activities in and around Ukraine,” the official said.

Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Ruslan Khomchak said on Tuesday that Russia is building up armed forces near Ukraine’s borders in a threat to the country’s security, accusing Moscow of pursuing an “aggressive policy” towards Kyiv.

In remarks to parliament, Khomchak also accused pro-Moscow separatists of systematically violating a ceasefire in the conflict in eastern Ukraine agreed in July 2020.

On top of that, the U.S. military’s European Command raised its watch level from possible crisis to potential imminent crisis — the highest level — in response to the deployment of the additional Russian troops.

European monitors have spotted new weaponry on the Russian-backed side in recent weeks. Artillery fire has become more frequent.

Video footage, some of which is seen below, circulated widely on social media purportedly showing Russian military convoys and trains loaded with large amounts of military hardware, including tanks and other heavy armored vehicles, as well as heavy artillery, which were toward the country’s borders with Ukraine.

Meantime in Russia: The Russian Military, including the 56th airborne brigade, are heading for the Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine, with military artillery and other BMP equipment. US Defense confirms military forces have come from multiple regions of Russia. pic.twitter.com/SXvNNXAcHe

— PatriotCharlie (@PatriotCharlie1) April 1, 2021

Ukraine’s security service SBU, has reportedly thwarted attempts by the Russian spy to get secrets of the Ukrainian tank program.

According to Ukraine’s security service, Counterintelligence of the Security Service of Ukraine detained in Kharkiv an agent of the Russian military intelligence, who was performing the task of obtaining technical documentation for the aggressor country on the development and production of the Ukrainian tank T-84BM “OPLOT”.

It is established that the citizen of Ukraine was recruited by representatives of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation during his trip to the Russian Federation.

As part of the initiated criminal proceedings, the investigators and counterintelligence officers of the SBU documented that on assignments from Russian curators and access to classified information, the enemy agent tried to attract an employee of the state-owned Kharkiv Morozov Machine-Building Design Bureau, which carried out the development of the modern tank. Under the control of the SBU operatives, the agent received samples of technical materials from the employee and handed over the photocopies to the representative of Russia’s GRU military intelligence using the spent channels.

Now the spy has been informed of suspicion of committing a crime under Part 1 of Art. 111 (high treason) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, and the issue of choosing a preventive measure is being decided.

Related Article: List of TOP 10 Best Tanks In The World

The Oplot is Ukraine’s latest main battle tank. It is fitted with next-generation Duplet Explosive Reactive Armor (ERA), which protects against tandem warheads. It is claimed to be superior to the Russian Kontakt 5 ERA armor. Protection of hull sides was also improved. The tank is fitted with a Shtora countermeasures system, which reduced the hit probability of enemy ATGW with semi-automatic guidance. It has been reported that this MBT can also be fitted with Zaslon active protection system.

This tank is operated by a crew of 3, including a commander, gunner and driver. There is no need for the loader, as the tank has an automatic ammunition loading system. The smaller crew allowed to reduce the overall dimensions of the vehicle, making it a smaller target on the battlefield.

Tanks of this type were ordered by the Royal Thai Army in 2011 and the U.S. Government has reached an agreement with the Ukrainian state arms export agency to supply several Oplot main battle tanks in 2020.