The West is concerned over the sporadic movement of Russia’s troops and weapons, The Washington Post reports referring to its anonymous sources.

Following the article published by the American newspaper, the publication Politico carried fresh satellite photos which confirm the information that the Kremlin once again concentrates troops and military equipment on the border with Ukraine.

Besides, in recent days videos have surfaced on social media showing Russian military trains and convoys moving large quantities of military hardware, including tanks and missiles, in the southern and western regions of Russia. Politico writes, “It is unclear what Russian troops gathering at the border with Ukraine are engaged with.”

In particular, the Russian military build-up has been highlighted in the United States and the European Union in the past few weeks especially after the Russia-Belarus military exercise named “The West-2021” was completed.

According to Michael Kofman, the director of the Russian studies program at the non-profit analytical organization CNA (the Center for Naval Analyses), the satellite images clearly show that the 41st Combined Arms Army of Russia which is deployed in Novosibirsk has not returned to its military base after the exercise but joined other Russian troops at the border with Ukraine.

Furthermore, it is also seen on the satellite photos that the 1st Guards Tank Army which is deployed near Moscow has transferred its personnel and military equipment to the border with Ukraine.

American reporters observe that the build-up of Russian military forces at the Ukrainian border is happening against a backdrop of the Kremlin’s tightening its political rhetoric concerning Ukraine and the first use of a Bayraktar drone by the Ukrainian armed forces in Donbas.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian military say that according to reports of the Defense Intelligence as of November 1, 2021, no additional redeployment of Russian servicemen, weapons and military equipment to the Ukrainian state border has been recorded.

Thus, Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar stated that the intelligence shows no significant movement of Russian troops, their approach to or unusual build-up at the border. Ukrainian intelligence officers explain, “Most likely the recently published in the media and social network a string of news about the build-up of Russian military forces in the Ukrainian direction are elements of an intentional information and psychological campaign and are in fact planned measures.”

At the G-20 summit meeting in Rome, the United States voiced its unwavering support for Ukraine amidst world news reports about the accumulation of Russian troops near her borders. On Monday, White House National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, said, “ We had the opportunity to consult over this past weekend with key allies and partners on the issue of Ukraine and ensuring that we’re defending Ukraine or supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. We’ll continue to monitor the situation closely.”

For his part, John Kirby, the Pentagon press secretary, said that the United States continues to carefully watch a situation at the Ukrainian border. He emphasized, “As we've said before, any escalatory or aggressive actions would be of great concern to the United States.”

In the view of many observers, the Russian leadership will unlikely to dare especially now with winter approaching to launch any military actions against Ukraine.

Thus, Ukrainian journalist Vitaliy Portnikov writes, “We need to realize a pretty simple thing: the current concentration of Russian troops at the border with Ukraine is just one of the Kremlin’s instruments of pressure on Ukraine as everything else the country-aggressor has used before. Beginning with the creation of energy crises to it’s persistent effort to deprive Ukraine of her status of the chief transit country of natural gas to Europe and ending with all kinds of military pressure which we witnessed in 2014, when the Russian troops occupied the Crimea and Russian saboteurs began to act in the eastern areas of Ukraine with the aim of occupying them.”

Portnikov claims that the Russian strategy of a military offensive against Ukraine consists in using economic and military levers at the same time. “The goal of this strategy is obvious: to eliminate Ukrainian statehood and annex the territory of Ukraine to the Russian Federation which subsequently will lead to the total disappearance of our state as such from the political map of the world.”

The newspaper Voice of Ukraine