The Foreign Ministry of Ukraine is concerned by the statement by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu about the deployment of "a proper and self-sufficient troop grouping in the Crimean direction."
“Having created a ‘gray area’ on the part of the sovereign territory of Ukraine, which de facto is not covered by the existing multilateral treaties in the field of arms control, the Russian Federation continues to increase its military presence in Crimea and to create there a main attack force with unclear objectives. The reasons for such military preparations stated by the Russian minister – an increase of foreign military presence near Russian borders and the aggravation of the situation in Ukraine – do not stand up to scrutiny, especially when an agreement on ceasefire in Donetsk and Luhansk regions has been reached,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement released on Sept. 16 evening.
In this regard, the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine sees Shoigu’s statement as such, which destabilizes the entire Black Sea region.
“We urge the Russian Federation to stop provocative actions that threaten the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and peace in the region,” the statement reads.
Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said earlier that the aggravation of the situation in Ukraine and the increased foreign military presence close to the Russian border has led to some adjustments in the work of the Southern Military District (SMD) command. “The military and political situation on the southwestern strategic line has changed substantially since the beginning of this year. This is largely due to the expansion of the Southern Military District after Crimean became part of Russia. Furthermore, the situation in Ukraine has sharply aggravated and the foreign military presence increased in the immediate proximity of our border,” the minister said.
“This state of affairs has led to certain adjustments in the daily work of the District command. Deploying a proper and self-sufficient troop grouping in the Crimean direction has become one of the (SMD) priorities,” the minister said.
