Beats of war in Eastern Europe as Russian troops in a military drill commanded by Russian President Vladimir Putin over the weekend put pressure on the EU and NATO.
The troops on the border with Ukraine are getting crowded as the Kremlin pushes for its concessions, or the alternative of a shooting war might be on the horizon.
Sticking to his guns and not depleting his resources, instead of keeping a mass of men and equipment ready to roll out at a moment's notice.
Russian military drills on video
Estimates of about 104,000 soldiers have been on the tense Ukraine border in the past months. The western alliance and Kyiv are worried if this force decides to rollout and annex it like Crimea, reported the Express UK.
Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a warning to NATO, saying that Moscow will respond if the organization still tries to include Kyiv in its dossier.
Troops were witnessed conducting a series of drills close to the Ukrainian border and in the State of Buryatia. The chilling film released by the Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) over the weekend fuels anxieties over an impending invasion.
Russian forces can be seen training, shooting down "enemy" targets in live-fire drills with their Msta-S self-propelled howitzers and anti-tank guided missiles in the clip.
The armored tank units were trying out their armament in target practice; in case of a live encounter against NATO or the Ukrainians.
Buryatia's military maneuvers came days after further footage was released depicting Russian troops practicing military drills close to the Ukrainian border in preparation for an actual armed excursion, as ordered by President Vladimir Putin.
The Chechen Republic's leader and a close ally of President Vladimir Putin, Ramzan Kadyrov stated local forces are also ready to take action in Ukraine; if Moscow delivers a directive shortly, cites the BBC.
Video fuels anxieties over impending invasion of Ukraine
The Chechen leader remarked that Kyiv will always allow the west to have military bases; then dictate demands on Eastern European countries. He added that the Chechen president would never allow that.
He added their forces are ready for infantry deployment anywhere, do their orders as needed without question.
The Ukrainian side of the military training is composed of 1,200 soldiers and over 250 pieces of military hardware, noted the Daily Mail.
According to the MoD of Russia, about 500 reconnaissance officers were part of the live-fire exercises. The drill was done using standard weapons like what Ukrainians have at their disposal.
In addition to bilateral negotiations with the US, the Kremlin thinks it makes perfect sense for Moscow to conduct talks with NATO on the safeguards it wants from NATO.
Moscow unveiled a shortlist of security ideas it needs to negotiate earlier in the month, along with a guarantee by NATO to stop undertaking military activities in East Europe and Ukraine.
On Sunday, the Russian foreign ministry requested to start talks to defuse the Ukraine border on January 12. The Kremlin wants to avoid any conflict at the border, but it's keeping its card close until then.
President Vladimir Putin does not want Russian troops caught flat-footed; military drills remind NATO that taking on Russia won't be easy.
