Russia And Belarus Agree To Extend Military Exercises Near Ukraine Border

Illustration of a Russian military exercise. (Source: Russian Ministry of Defense)

JAKARTA - Russia and Belarus are extending military exercises due to end on Sunday, Belarus' defense minister said, in a move that further intensifies pressure on Ukraine, as Western leaders warn of an imminent Russian invasion.

The decision to extend the exercise was taken due to military activity near the Russian and Belarusian borders, as well as the escalation of the situation in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine, Belarus' defense ministry said in a statement.

NATO says Russia has up to 30,000 troops in Belarus and could use them as part of an invasion force to attack Ukraine, which lies south of Belarus. Moscow denies any such intention, with the Kremlin not commenting on the Belarusian exercises.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said repeated warnings by the West that Russia would invade Ukraine were provocative and could have adverse consequences, without providing details.

Russia and its allies say Ukraine and the West are inflaming tensions by sending NATO reinforcements to eastern Europe.

Meanwhile, Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin said the focus of the extended exercise was "to ensure an adequate response and reduce the escalation of military preparations of sympathizers near our common border."

Illustration of a Russian military exercise. (Source: Russian Ministry of Defense)

It is known that Western countries are preparing sanctions that they say would have far-reaching effects on Russian companies and individuals in the event of an invasion.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said in an interview with the BBC broadcast on Sunday that such sanctions would be particularly hard hit and could include restricting Russian businesses' access to dollars and pounds.

However, PM Johnson acknowledged such threats may not deter Moscow.

"We have to accept at this point that (Russian President) Vladimir Putin may be thinking illogically about this and not seeing a catastrophe ahead," Johnson said.

The new fighting in eastern Ukraine follows a weeks-long buildup of Russian troops in the north, east, and south of the country. The West estimates that 150,000 or more Russian troops are currently near the Ukrainian border.

"The plan we're looking at is for something that could be the biggest war in Europe since 1945 on just a grand scale," said PM Johnson.

Separately, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the West should impose some sanctions now, rather than wait for an invasion. "Russia must stop now. We are seeing how things go," Kuleba said.

To note, the focus of tensions in recent days has been on the swath of eastern Ukraine captured by Russian-backed rebels in 2014, the same year Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine. More than 14,000 people have died in the conflict in the east.