Moscow. January 14th. INTERFAX - A sudden check of the combat readiness of the troops of the Eastern Military District (VVO) with the transfer of some units to remote training grounds may be a demonstration of force on the part of Russia against the background of negotiations with the United States and NATO on security guarantees, a Russian military expert believes.
"This is a demonstration of force, as well as all kinds of exercises near the Ukrainian border. Now it is an additional demonstration of force to create an incentive for the West to make agreements, to satisfy the legitimate demands of the Russian Federation," Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), head of the Center for International Security of the Institute of World Economy and International Relations (IMEMO) told Interfax on Friday RAS Alexey Arbatov.
"Such maneuvers make a very big impression on the West. Another question is how the West will react to this. The West can react by softening its position, or it can toughen it, start carrying out similar activities on its part: the transfer of troops, large-scale exercises and demonstration flights of aircraft, ship trips, shooting. The reaction of the West may be like this," Arbatov said.
"Russia is conducting demonstrative exercises in order to reinforce its political position. This is not an escalation. If the West responds similarly, it will already be an escalation," the scientist said.
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation on Friday reported that a sudden check of combat readiness had begun in the Eastern Military District with the deployment of a number of units and formations to landfills at a considerable distance from their locations.
"A number of formations and military units of the Eastern Military District, as part of a surprise check, are marching in a combined way to unfamiliar landfills located at a considerable distance from permanent deployment points to perform combat training tasks," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
"The ongoing activities will allow us to assess the readiness of the troops of the Eastern Military District to perform tasks for their intended purpose after regrouping over long distances across the territory of the Russian Federation," the message says.
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation did not say where the troops are being transferred during the sudden inspection of the Eastern Military District.
The Eastern Military District includes units and formations in Transbaikalia and the Far East.
As reported, Moscow offered the United States and NATO to work out strong agreements that exclude the advance of the North Atlantic Alliance to the east and the deployment of new weapons in the immediate vicinity of the territory of the Russian Federation.
This week, Russia held talks with the United States and NATO on security guarantees in Geneva and Brussels. There was no convergence of positions on the non-expansion of NATO to the east during the negotiations. On Friday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow is waiting for written responses from the United States and NATO to the proposals.
On January 12, Russian Deputy Defense Minister Alexander Fomin named key issues for discussion with NATO.
