NATO Accuses Russia Of Being Ready To Attack Ukraine, Kremlin: It's Far-Fetched And Illogical

Spokesman of Kremlin Dmitry Peskov. (Wikimedia Commons/Kremlin.ru/Press Service of the President of Russia)

JAKARTA - The Kremlin on Sunday accused the West of artificially increasing tensions around Ukraine, with repeated statements suggesting Russia was ready to launch an attack, calling on Washington and its allies to halt military build-up nearby.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Saturday his country had real concerns, widely shared with partners in Europe, over Russia's activities on Ukraine's borders, after Ukraine said it feared Russia might be preparing an attack.

US, NATO, and Ukrainian officials have been making similar statements for nearly two weeks, referring to what they say is an unusual Russian troop movement near Ukraine.

Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov told the Military Times over the weekend that Russia had more than 92,000 troops gathered around the Ukrainian border and was preparing for an attack in late January or early February.

Budanov said such an attack would likely involve airstrikes, artillery, and armored strikes followed by airstrikes in the east, amphibious assaults in Odessa and Mariupol, and smaller strikes through neighboring Belarus.

Moscow categorically rejects statements such as incitement and complains about what it says is increasing activity in the region by the NATO alliance.

In comments broadcast late Sunday on state TV, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said provocations in the region could not be ruled out given all the US rhetoric.

"This hysteria is being fabricated. We are accused of carrying out some kind of unusual military activity on our territory by those who brought their armed forces from across the seas. Namely, the United States," Peskov said, citing Reuters on November 22.

"It's not really logical or polite," Peskov continued.

Peskov suggested Ukraine might find a way to resolve the problem on its own by force. Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in 2014 and Russian-backed separatists seized swathes of eastern Ukraine the same year.

In addition, Peskov said Russia wants NATO to stop concentrating military power near Russia's borders, to stop arming Ukraine with modern weapons.

The Kremlin said in September that NATO would cross Russia's red line if it expanded its military infrastructure in Ukraine.

To note, a ship carrying two former United States Coast Guard patrol vessels designed to reinforce the Ukrainian Navy transited the Dardanelles Strait on Saturday.

Ukraine, which is seeking to become a NATO member, received a large shipment of US ammunition earlier this year and Javelin anti-tank missiles, drawing criticism from Moscow.