Russia accuses US military firms of planning provocation with chemical weapons in Ukraine

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said that private US military firms are planning provocations in Eastern Ukraine involving chemical components. As per Sputnik report, Shoigu told a Russian Defence Ministry gathering on Tuesday that advisers from American private military companies (PMCs) have been dispatched to Ukraine’ Donbass and are setting up firing positions and defences, training Ukrainian Special Forces. 

The Russian news agency quoted Shoigu as saying, “The presence of more than 120 employees of American PMCs was reliably estimated in the settlements of Avdiivka and Pryazovske in (eastern Ukraine's) Donetsk Region.” “They are setting up firing positions in residential buildings and socially significant facilities, training Ukrainian special ops task forces and radical military groups for active hostilities,” he reportedly added.

Separately, the Russian Defence Minister noted that the US is ramping up its military presence near Russia’s borders. Shoigu reportedly said that around 8,000 American military personnel are already deployed in Eastern Europe. He also said that NATO is practising options for using the alliance groups to group against Russia while referring to Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine.

"NATO pays special attention to the troop deployment to the eastern flank of the alliance, including from the continental part of the US. The drills include working out various options to use coalition groups against Russia that comprise non-NATO members", Shoigu said. The Russian defence minsiter further said that “the US and NATO are purposefully increasing the scale and intensity of troop training activities near Russia".

"They increasingly involve strategic aviation, carrying out simulated launches of nuclear missiles on our facilities. The number of their flights near Russia's borders has more than doubled", Shoigu stressed

Russia blames US for escalating tensions in Europe

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday blamed his US counterpart for the escalating tensions in Europe. During his speech at a Russian Defence Ministry board meeting, Putin said that Moscow will be taking appropriate military-technical measures in response to the unfriendly steps taken by the United States. According to a report by Sputnik, Putin noted that Russia has every right to respond. Further, the Russian President said that the United States has been conducting an anti-Russian policy since the “euphoria” that followed “victory” in Cold War.

The news agency quoted Putin as saying, “As I have already noted, in the event of the continuation of the obviously aggressive line of our Western colleagues, we will take adequate retaliatory military-technical measures, and react toughly to unfriendly steps"

He added, "And, I want to emphasise, we have every right to do so, we have every right to take actions designed to ensure the security and sovereignty of Russia".