EU Reports 150K Russian Troops Massed Near Ukraine

April 19, 2021 Military, Russia

Russia has concentrated more than 150,000 troops on Ukraine’s border and in annexed Crimea, the EU’s top diplomat Josep Borrell said on Monday after EU foreign ministers were briefed by Ukraine’s foreign minister. Tensions between Moscow and Kyiv have been rising amid the military build-up and clashes in eastern Ukraine between the army and pro-Russian separatists.

The Associated Press reports:

More than 14,000 people have died in seven years of fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine that erupted after Russia’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. The EU has steadfastly opposed the annexation but has been unable to do anything about it. Efforts to reach a political settlement have stalled and violations of a shaky truce have become increasingly frequent in recent weeks.

Russian military build-up near Ukraine numbers more than 150,000 troops, EU’s Borrell says https://t.co/LE1wO38RiM pic.twitter.com/AYDPjmpYeU

— Reuters (@Reuters) April 19, 2021