Russian army says it killed 5 'saboteurs' from Ukraine on Russian territory, reported news agency AFP on Monday.
According to US estimates, Russia has amassed over 150,000 in and near Ukraine, up from about 100,000 on January 30. Putin has been demanding assurances that NATO will not admit Ukraine, a former Soviet state with close ties to Russia, while the Western alliance denies it poses any threat to Russia.
There are fears that a Russian military intervention could start a war even bloodier than the conflict in eastern Ukraine which has cost at least 14,000 lives. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has warned that it would be “catastrophic” if the Russia-Ukraine conflict escalated into a war, while underlining that there was “no alternative to diplomacy.”
Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin on Sunday categorically ruled out deployment of American troops in Ukraine and warned Moscow of punitive sanctions if its troops crossed over the border. Referring to the nature of deployment of Russian troops on the border of Ukraine, he said there is a significant amount of combat power moving very quickly now to take Kyiv.
Also Read | Russia-Ukraine conflict: What Moscow wants, the West's interests | EXPLAINED
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