Reznikov says Russia has amassed troops near Ukraine border; Branson calls on global business leaders to unite against Russia

Today there are 20,000 more military personnel at the border than in December 2021.

Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said that Russia has deployed around 112,000 military personnel at the border with Ukraine, and around 130,000 including its naval and aviation components, which is 20,000 more than in December. 

Oleksii Reznikov
Defence Minister of Ukraine

As of now, there are no military developments or actions that noticeably differ from what took place in the spring of last year before Easter. The only military difference we are closely monitoring is the situation in Belarus. What is radically different is the intensity of hybrid measures, primarily informational, and the impact of these measures on the macroeconomic situation. 

According to him, such reports are a means of pressure, and not "only and not so much on Ukraine".

Reznikov noted that there are differences in the figures from different intelligence agencies on Russian forces near Ukraine's borders, and they are related to "the distance and how this distance is interpreted": some indicate distances of up to 200 km from the border, as Ukraine does, while others indicate up to 400 km. 

Oleksii Reznikov
Defence Minister of Ukraine

In early December, we were monitoring 41 battalion tactical groups and other units of the Russian army, which numbered 94,000 people; with the aviation and naval components, it was around 110,000. Now we are monitoring units that number around 112,000 people, and with the naval and aviation components, this is around 130,000 people. In April of last year, the combat component that Russia had massed amounted to 126,000 people. Consequently, the number then and now is commensurate. The reaction is disproportionate. 

Russia has massed 300 more tanks than in the spring. However, Ukrainian forces already have modern anti-tank weapons: Stugna, Korsar, Javelin, NLAW, and their number is "an order of magnitude greater than the number of potential targets". 

Reznikov said he cannot disclose the amount of military aid, but it is "much more optimistic than what has been reported in the media". The minister recalled that six large landing ships from Russia's Northern and Baltic Fleets have entered the Mediterranean Sea and may enter the Black Sea. 

"We know which marine units are on board, and the US Navy carrier group knows this even better," the defence minister said. He noted that the military is calculating all possible scenarios, so any forecasts regarding the timing of escalation are only variants of how events may develop. 

Branson calls on business leaders to unite against Russia

Billionaire and founder of Virgin Group Richard Branson called on business leaders to unite and defend Ukraine's sovereignty in the face of Russian aggression. 

Richard Branson
Billionaire

The moment has come for business leaders to come together and defend Ukraine's sovereignty. Even if we have to pay for it, we must all make it clear that aggression is always unacceptable, and that the international private sector will support the full range of sanctions against any state that tries to violate the sovereignty of another. 

According to him, business leaders around the world are watching with great concern as Russia builds up troops and equipment on Ukraine's border. 

"Never in recent years has there been a greater risk of full-scale war on European soil. What on earth is one country doing in 2022, accumulating tanks at the border of another?" the businessman writes. 

He recalled that eight years ago, when Putin's intentions regarding Ukraine became obvious to the rest of the world, he and his partners made efforts to mobilise Russian and Ukrainian business leaders for a peaceful settlement of relations. 

Branson said: "I remember numerous serious meetings and calls with leaders and experts in politics and business, and we came to understand much better the dynamics of the forces fuelling this conflict. We also saw that none of our Russian contacts, although they personally opposed Russia's military intervention, wished to raise their voice publicly. We issued a statement that Western and Ukrainian business leaders willingly signed, but we failed to obtain a single Russian signature, because their fear of repression by the regime in Moscow was too great." 

He noted that those he spoke with agree that a war between Russia and Ukraine would have devastating consequences. 

"This will isolate Russia and its president even further from the rest of the world and will destroy the Russian economy. The main burden of the aggression will be borne by the civilian population. The bloody civil war in Syria, in which Russian troops and mercenaries play a terrible role, is a vivid reminder of what is at stake," the billionaire said. 

He stressed that Putin will not be able to win this war: "This is not a conflict in which President Putin can prevail in the long term. Although he seems little concerned with what the world thinks of his geopolitical ambitions, he should be very concerned about what the future of his own country will be." 

In his view, despite everything, the Russian people will one day realise that they deserve better. 

Richard Branson
Billionaire

At some point, ordinary Russians will understand that they deserve better, especially if the situation reaches a point where the inevitable uprising of Ukrainians defending their homes, villages and cities revives the haunting spectre of the Soviet Union's failure in Afghanistan.