Land Forces Alert:New Russian Buildup Heightens Washington's Fears Over Ukraine

Since late September,Russian troops,tanks and artillery have been massing near Yelnya,Russia near Northern Ukraine.The move has Washington gravely concerned-so much so that CIA Director William Burns,who speaks Russian and was a former Ambassador to Russia,was sent to Moscow by US President Joseph R. Biden last week for talks with Kremlin officials.Mr.Burns spoke to Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone,telling him the US is seriously concerned about the irregular deployment,and probing the Kremlin's intentions for the bulked-up capability.Mr.Burns also met with Nikolai Patrushev,Secretary of Russia's Security Council and former head of the FSB,the Russian spy agency that succeeded the KGB,informing him the US was following the unusual miltary activity very closely.* The massing of troops and firepower had begun following a Russia-Belarus joint exercise in the area.The elite 1st Guards Tank Army is among the tents,armoured units and support elements that were detected by a Maxar Technologies satellite.Photos of the buildup by the satellite were viewed by this blog.Forces of the 41st Combined Arms Army did not return to their base in Novosibirsk,Siberia after the drills with Belarus,and were augmented by even more troops.* Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby,US Navy retired,said: We're aware of public reports of unusual Russian military activity near Ukraine.We're going to continue to consult with Allies and Partners on this issue.As we've said before,any escalating or aggressive actions would be of great concern to the United States.* Indeed,Ukraine's defence ministry noted that Russia has: established a practise of transferring and accumulating military units for the purpose of maintaining tension in the region and political pressure on neighbouring countries.* Some US officials are more concerned about this buildup than the one that occurred back in March,noting that Russia is configuring a capability to make a quiick strike against Ukraine.A congressional aide said: With such a large buildup,Putin could order an invasion at any time and there would be very little warning.* A european diplomat feels that the US is: very,very concerned-this is the most concerned I've heard them about Russia in a long,long time.* The Voice of America recalled that US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland had visited Moscow last month,but failed to resolve a dispute over the respective sizes of the US Embassy in Moscow and the Russian Embassy in Washington.There is also tension over Russian control over the natural gas supply to Ukraine and Europe for the coming winter,with fears that Russia will use natural gas to blackmail its neighbours.Some experts believe that Putin's ultimate aim may be to reabsorb Ukraine into Russia,given recent articles written by both him and Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev disparaging Ukrainian statehood.* Maxar Technologies Inc (MAXR)