Claims by foreign media outlets about Russia's alleged plans to "invade Ukrainian territory" are void and groundless, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stated. He slammed these publications for trying to escalate tensions between Russia and other countries.
Peskov further added that movements of the Russian military on the country's own territory should not cause anyone's concern and assured that Moscow threatens no one. Previously, several US media platforms reported a military buildup on Russia's side of the border with Ukraine. Moscow refuted these reports as a fake news campaign directed against the Kremlin.
"Russia is developing in its own way. We go about our own business, and we take measures to ensure our security if necessary, if some provocative actions by our opponents occur near our borders".
The spokesman clarified that he referred to NATO, which "actively and assertively" operates in the direct vicinity of Russia's borders.
The Kremlin's comment came in response to a news article in Bloomberg, in which the outlet claimed the US had warned the EU that Russia might be weighing a "potential invasion of Ukraine". The news media cited "multiple people familiar with the matter" as the source of the information, but did not reveal their names. Neither Washington, nor Brussels have confirmed the information in the article.
11 November 2021, 12:17 GMT
Bloomberg claims that the US based its assessments on "publicly-available evidence" without specifying what exactly. Even before this particular publication, several US media outlets reported that Moscow had redeployed its forces closer to the border with Ukraine. Following these claims, rejected by the Kremlin, the White House expressed "concerns" over Russia risking making a "serious mistake" in Ukraine. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken admitted, however, that Washington has no "clarity into Moscow's intentions".