"The troops proved capable of guaranteeing the defense of the country ". Thus the Russian defense minister Sergei Shoigu, who spoke yesterday at the military exercises organized in Crimea with the participation of dozens of ships, hundreds of warplanes and thousands of men. "The goal has been fully achieved and Russia withdraws from its western border close to Ukraine". The mobilization, a truly muscular display of strength, had alarmed Kiev and Western countries, the USA and NATO in the lead. The retreat started in the early hours of dawn today will end on 1st May next. However, heavy weapons remained in the Voronezh region - 150 km from the Ukrainian border -.
The test of strength had also extended between the Black Sea and the Azov Sea. Moscow had announced, against the laws of the law of the sea, restrictions on maritime traffic. In response, the United States was preparing to send two warships while Britain had already sent two with F-35s and anti-submarine helicopters on board. On April 13, Biden then phoned Putin proposing a meeting in the coming months in a third country to discuss the full range of problems facing the US and Russia. The Kremlin has confirmed that the two heads of state intend to foster dialogue in the most important sectors for the world security, including the Ukrainian crisis.
Yesterday afternoon the turning point, when the Kremlin extended to the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy an invitation for talks in Moscow. There NATO he breathed a sigh of relief and in a note said: "Important and long overdue withdrawal". President Zelenskiy on Twitter states: "on the reduction of troops on our borders, I thank the international partners for the support shown ”.
Putin last Thursday in his speech on the state of the nation, however, he warned the West that Russia will decide from time to time the cases in which the red lines that it considers unquestionable for its own safety have been crossed. "We will be able to act as a surprise wherever we think it is ", in a very excited phase of the speech.
According to an American intelligence report, Russia "does not want direct conflict"With the United States but"will continue with its efforts to destabilize Ukraine and demonstrate to NATO that it is capable of deploying many men and vehicles close to its borders in a short time ".
It is no coincidence that NATO launched the exercise last March "Defender Europe 2021", which provides for the employment of 28.000 men and will touch, until next June, as many as 12 European countries. The Kremlin in this regard makes it known that it is ready to respond immediately to any unfavorable development in the areas affected by the exercises of the Atlantic Alliance.
It is therefore clear that Moscow could not stand by and watch the massive NATO exercise near its borders.