As promised a day earlier, on Wednesday, February 16, Russian units of troops engaged in tactical exercises in the Crimea continued to withdraw from the territory of our peninsula. "An echelon with military equipment of the units of the Southern Military District crossed the Crimean Bridge by rail and proceeded to the points of permanent deployment," the military department reported.

The Russian military will return from Belarus after the exercises to their places of deployment. This was stated by Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, answering journalists' questions.

"This is out of the question now," Peskov said in response to a question about the possibility of the presence of Russian military in Belarus after the exercises. After the maneuvers, "at the end of one or another phase of the exercises, the troops are withdrawn to their permanent location," he noted.

Another echelon with military equipment of the units of the Southern Military District crossed the Crimean Bridge on its way to the point of permanent deployment after the end of the Belarusian-Russian exercises. This was announced on February 17 by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

Special forces soldiers of the Central Military District at night exercises near Novosibirsk destroyed the base of a conditional enemy. As told to "RG" in the press service of the Central Military District, the army training took place at the Shilovo training ground. Three hundred servicemen and twenty units of special equipment took part in the exercises.

The training of grenade launchers of the Eastern Military District (VVO) is being completed in six regions of the Far East. More than 2 thousand servicemen take part in them, the press service of the Air Defense Ministry reports.

Gunners of the 49th Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District conducted exercises using modern reconnaissance equipment at the Molkino combined arms training ground in the Krasnodar Territory, the press service of the Southern Military District reports.

The grouping of troops of the Eastern Military District, performing tasks for the construction of the second branch of the Baikal-Amur mainline, was strengthened with promising samples of techniques.

24 colonels received the rank of Major General, and two captains of the 1st rank received rear admirals

Russian President Vladimir Putin by decree awarded the general ranks to 26 servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, according to a document published on the official portal of legal information.

Russia will decide for itself how and in what ways to ensure its security, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

The growing military activity of NATO near the borders of the Russian Federation is alarming, and the ultimatum demands to Russia to withdraw troops from certain areas of its own territory are unacceptable, according to the written response of the Russian Federation to the United States on the issue of security guarantees.

The US proposal on measures to develop the START is contrary to the nature of the dialogue

Russia stands for an integrated approach to strategic stability and invites the United States to work out a new "security equation," according to the written response of the Russian Federation to the United States on security proposals.

State Department spokesman Ned Price said on Wednesday that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Tuesday informed US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken about Moscow's sending a response to Washington within a couple of days to American proposals on security in Europe.

The Telegraph (UK): Putin exposed the weakness of the West

The West is confused by Putin's "ambiguous signals", writes The Telegraph. But while he is lost in guesses, the Russian leader has tested the resolve of Western countries and found its flaw.

The Drive: The Russian army remains the Soviet "dumb hammer", which is incredibly heavy

The Russian armed forces are a legacy of the Soviet era and remain a "blunt hammer" that is still incredibly heavy. In these words, in the American edition of The Drive, columnist Tyler Rogovey described the modern Russian army concentrated in the regions bordering Ukraine.

The Drive: Russia has built a bridge across the Pripyat a few kilometers from Ukraine

A pontoon bridge erected by the Russian military on the Pripyat River in Belarus a few kilometers from the border with Ukraine can be used by Moscow to transfer equipment. Thus, the American edition of The Drive commented on satellite images of the structure made by Planet Labs.

The United States believes that Russia's statements about the withdrawal of troops from the border with Ukraine do not correspond to reality, allegedly Moscow is actually increasing the number of its troops, the Axios portal reported, citing a senior representative of the American administration.

The Kremlin is concerned about the aggravation of the situation in Donbass and recalled that it had long warned about the danger of excessive concentration of the Ukrainian military on the demarcation line.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that Kiev should receive a guarantee system that is not inferior to that offered to NATO countries, as the process of joining the alliance is delayed.

US President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz discussed the Ukrainian crisis and considered strengthening NATO's eastern flank in case of Russia's "invasion" of Ukraine, the White House reports.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and the head of the European Commission (EC) Ursula von der Leyen had a telephone conversation during which they discussed Ukraine and Russia.