Thousands of Russian troops have reportedly withdrawn from the Ukraine border after conducting month-long drills, as tensions remain high amid fears that Moscow may be planning an attack.

Russian troops conclude month-long military drills near Ukraine, return to base

US department of Defence is working on a plan to provide real time intelligence information to Ukraine. This move aims to help Ukraine rapidly respond to a possible Russian invasion.

US plans to provide real time intelligence information to Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that Russian diplomats, along with military officials will take part in talks with the US next month. He said that talks will focus on list of security guarantees that Russia wants from the US. Lavrov made the comments in an interview. It was livestreamed on his ministry's website.

Lavrov said that the talks would take place immediately after Russia's new year holidays. January 10 is the first official day of working in new year in Russia.

West is alarmed over Russia's buildup of troops along Ukraine border. Though Russia says it will not invade Ukraine, it is constantly saying that it is facing threat from its neighbour. This is perceived by many as Russian attempts to create a pretext for inavsion.

Russia is fiercely opposed to Ukraine's inclusion in North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated this stance in media interaction few days ago.

On Sunday, it was reported by Russia's Tass news agency that the country was considering a proposal for dialogue it received from NATO. This proposal is separate from any that may pertain to Russian talks with the US. As per the report, NATO proposal suggested that the talks begin on January 12.

Last week, Russia unveiled its wish list of security proposals. The list includes demand that NATO give up any military activity in Eastern Europe and Ukraine.

The United States, the European Union and the Group of Seven have all warned Putin that he will face "massive consequences" including tough economic sanctions in the event of any new Russian aggression.

(With inputs from agencies)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that Russian diplomats, along with military officials will take part in talks with the US next month. He said that talks will focus on list of security guarantees that Russia wants from the US.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that Russian diplomats, along with military officials will take part in talks with the US next month. He said that talks will focus on list of security guarantees that Russia wants from the US. Lavrov made the comments in an interview. It was livestreamed on his ministry's website. Lavrov said that the talks would take place immediately after Russia's new year holidays. January 10 is the first official day of working in new year in Russia. West is alarmed over Russia's buildup of troops along Ukraine border. Though Russia says it will not invade Ukraine, it is constantly saying that it is facing threat from its neighbour. This is perceived by many as Russian attempts to create a pretext for inavsion. Russia is fiercely opposed to Ukraine's inclusion in North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO). Russian President Vladimir Putin reiterated this stance in media interaction few days ago. On Sunday, it was reported by Russia's Tass news agency that the country was considering a proposal for dialogue it received from NATO. This proposal is separate from any that may pertain to Russian talks with the US. As per the report, NATO proposal suggested that the talks begin on January 12. Last week, Russia unveiled its wish list of security proposals. The list includes demand that NATO give up any military activity in Eastern Europe and Ukraine. The United States, the European Union and the Group of Seven have all warned Putin that he will face "massive consequences" including tough economic sanctions in the event of any new Russian aggression. (With inputs from agencies)

US-Russia talks to begin next month: Lavrov

Russia is considering a NATO proposal it has received to commence talks on Moscow's security concerns on January 12 amid Ukraine tension.

Russia considering NATO proposal to hold talks on January 12

Russia is considering a NATO proposal to talk over its security concerns, said TASS news agency as it quoted Russian foreign ministry on Sunday. Currently, tension between Russia and Ukraine has western world on the edge. Russia has beefed up its military presence along its border with Ukraine.

Last week, Russia unveiled its wish list of security proposals. The list includes demand that NATO give up any military activity in Eastern Europe and Ukraine.

"We have already received this (NATO) offer, and we are considering it," TASS quoted the foreign ministry as saying.

The United States and Ukraine say Russia may be preparing an invasion of its ex-Soviet neighbour. Russia denies that and says it is Ukraine`s growing relationship with NATO that has caused the standoff to escalate. It has compared it to the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, when the world came to the brink of nuclear war.

Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/russia-warns-nato-against-inclusion-of-finland-sweden-440093">Russia warns NATO against inclusion of Finland, Sweden</a>

President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday Russia wanted to avoid conflict but needed an "immediate" response from the United States and its allies to its demands for security guarantees. Moscow has said it expects talks with U.S. officials on the subject to start in January in Geneva.

U.S. President Joe Biden`s administration has said some of Russia`s security proposals are obviously unacceptable, but that Washington will respond with more concrete ideas on the format of any talks.

In an interview on CBS` "Face The Nation" television show, Vice President Kamala Harris said Washington has been in direct conversations with Moscow about the issue and reiterated the U.S. commitment to Ukraine`s territorial integrity.

"We`ve been very clear that we are prepared to issue sanctions like you`ve not seen before," Harris said, but declined to elaborate on the specifics of the sanctions. 
The United States, the European Union and the Group of Seven have all warned Putin that he will face "massive consequences" including tough economic sanctions in the event of any new Russian aggression.

The Kremlin`s demands contain elements - such as an effective Russian veto on future NATO membership for Ukraine - that the West has already ruled out.

(With inputs from agencies)

Russia is considering a NATO proposal to talk over its security concerns, said TASS news agency as it quoted Russian foreign ministry on Sunday. Currently, tension between Russia and Ukraine has western world on the edge.

Russia is considering a NATO proposal to talk over its security concerns, said TASS news agency as it quoted Russian foreign ministry on Sunday. Currently, tension between Russia and Ukraine has western world on the edge. Russia has beefed up its military presence along its border with Ukraine. Last week, Russia unveiled its wish list of security proposals. The list includes demand that NATO give up any military activity in Eastern Europe and Ukraine. "We have already received this (NATO) offer, and we are considering it," TASS quoted the foreign ministry as saying. The United States and Ukraine say Russia may be preparing an invasion of its ex-Soviet neighbour. Russia denies that and says it is Ukraine`s growing relationship with NATO that has caused the standoff to escalate. It has compared it to the 1962 Cuban missile crisis, when the world came to the brink of nuclear war. Also Read | Russia warns NATO against inclusion of Finland, Sweden President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday Russia wanted to avoid conflict but needed an "immediate" response from the United States and its allies to its demands for security guarantees. Moscow has said it expects talks with U.S. officials on the subject to start in January in Geneva. U.S. President Joe Biden`s administration has said some of Russia`s security proposals are obviously unacceptable, but that Washington will respond with more concrete ideas on the format of any talks. In an interview on CBS` "Face The Nation" television show, Vice President Kamala Harris said Washington has been in direct conversations with Moscow about the issue and reiterated the U.S. commitment to Ukraine`s territorial integrity. "We`ve been very clear that we are prepared to issue sanctions like you`ve not seen before," Harris said, but declined to elaborate on the specifics of the sanctions. The United States, the European Union and the Group of Seven have all warned Putin that he will face "massive consequences" including tough economic sanctions in the event of any new Russian aggression. The Kremlin`s demands contain elements - such as an effective Russian veto on future NATO membership for Ukraine - that the West has already ruled out. (With inputs from agencies)

NATO sends proposal to hold talks with Russia: Report

Russia has announced that more than 10,000 of its troops that had stationed along the border with Ukraine have finished their month-long drills near Ukraine and are now returning to their permanent base.

Russian troops conclude month-long drills near Ukraine

More than 10,000 Russian troops finish month-long drills near Ukraine

US department of Defence is working on a plan to provide real time intelligence information to Ukraine. This is according to a NYT report citing sources in the US govt.

US department of Defence works on plan to provide real time intelligence information to Ukraine

Russia: Month-long military drills concluded near Ukraine

Russian President is bent on destroying the country. Speaking with AFP, Ukraine's national security chief, said that the ongoing talks of possible Moscow invasion could destabilise Ukraine and throw it into chaos.

Russian President Vladimir Putin bent on destroying the country?

People around the world is is Russia getting prepared for a war with Ukraine. Now there's been a massive true build up along Ukraine's bottom and there's also been a new missile test and the u.s Russia tensions remain at an all-time high.

Russian forces train near Ukraine border

Sphere mounts over a major military escalation in Ukraine Kiev's top security official has now claimed that Russian president Vladimir Putin is pretty much bent on destroying the country.

Kiev Security Supremo Warns Russia

Civil war that is presently underway in Ethiopia. The Ethiopian prime minister Abby Ahmed has said that the federal troops will not advance further in the war-torn region of Tigre to avoid an escalation of the conflict.

Tigray Conflict Has Displaced Millions

Ukraine's secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, Oleksiy Danilov has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is determined to destroy Ukraine.

Ukraine's secretary of the National Security and Defence Council, Oleksiy Danilov has said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is determined to destroy Ukraine. However, he further added that there is no risk of an approaching invasion. While speaking to AFP, he said that Moscow's invasion could destabilise Ukraine. "Putin wants to destroy our country. Will he succeed? No, he will not," said Danillov. Our citizens will protect our country. We are going to protect our country. Full stop." As per Kiev's latest estimates, Russian troops along Ukraine's borders have surged from around 93,000 to 104,000 in a span of two months. As per Danilov, this is not a big surge. Tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalated in mid-November after Washington warned of a massive Russian troop build-up on Ukraine's border. Putin was also accused of planning an invasion. Also read | Amid row with Ukraine, Russia tests Tsirkon hypersonic missile system Meanwhile, amid these tensions, Putin recently announced that the country's defence forces had test-launched the Tsirkon hypersonic missile system. "This morning, the Tsirkon hypersonic system was salvo-launched. This is our latest missile that can strike both naval and ground targets," President Putin said. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg had offered to start talks with Russian officials year next year without setting a date to discuss the situation in Ukraine. Earlier, Russia had submitted a document on security guarantying to NATO and the US highlighting its concerns. It further emphasised how the Western military alliance should not extend its influence in the east. (With inputs from agencies)

'Putin wants to destroy our country', says Ukrainian senior security official

Russian Foreign Minister said he expects negotiations with the US to begin in January next year. Watch this report for more.

United States, Russia to hold talks within weeks

Is Russia getting ready for war in the Ukraine. There has been a massive troop build up along Ukraine's border.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says Moscow doesn't want conflict with Ukraine

Is Russia getting ready for war in Ukraine it is a question that has been worrying the west of late there has been a massive troop buildup along Ukraine's borders but if we go by Vladimir Putin's words he says that Moscow doesn't want any conflict with Ukraine, for now, a ceasefire has been reached between the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Is Russia getting ready for war in Ukraine, West concerned over troop buildup

The US says it is ready for talks with Russia amid growing tensions over Ukraine invasion fears. However, it makes it clear that any dialogue must be based on reciprocity.

The US says it is ready to engage in diplomacy as tensions fume with Russia over Ukraine

Is Russsia getting ready for war in Ukraine?

The US plans diplomatic outreach to engage with Russia amid Ukraine invasion fears

United States prepares for talks with Russia amid escalating tensions in Ukraine

US says it is ready for talks with Russia amid growing tensions over Ukraine

Relations between Russia and Ukraine are currently at an all-time low and it seems that the country might invade Ukraine and at a time like this, sources say that Russia might be preparing teenagers.

Russia promotes patriotism in schools

Russia getting ready for war in Ukraine now this is a question that has been worrying the west as of now and there has been a massive true build up along Ukraine's borders but if you go by what Vladimir Putin says his words say that Moscow doesn't want any kind of conflict with Ukraine according to the Russian president Moscow is trying to avoid any conflicts with both Ukraine and the West.

'Ball is in their court,' Putin blames West for growing Ukraine tensions | Annual Press conference

Russia agrees to begin security talks with the US next year amid rising tensions over Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin is holding an annual press conference. The focus primarily will be on the Russia-Ukraine border conflict and crackdown against political opponents and media.

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds annual press conference

Stepping onto a podium in heavy boots and military fatigues at a ceremony outside Moscow, six teenagers accepted awards for an increasingly important discipline in Russia: patriotism.

For days, students from around the country had competed in activities like map-reading, shooting and history quizzes. The contest was funded in part by the Kremlin, which has been making “military-patriotic” education a priority.

“Parents and children understand that this aggressive shell around us, it is tightening, it is hardening,” said Svyatoslav Omelchenko, a special forces veteran of the KGB who founded Vympel, the group running the event. “We are doing all we can to make sure that children are aware of that and to get them ready to go and serve.”

Over the past eight years, the Russian government has promoted the idea that the motherland is surrounded by enemies, filtering the concept through national institutions like schools, the military, the news media and the Orthodox Church. It has even raised the possibility that the country might again have to defend itself as it did against the Nazis in World War II.

Now, as Russia masses troops on the Ukrainian border, spurring Western fears of an impending invasion, the steady militarization of Russian society under President Vladimir Putin suddenly looms large, and appears to have inured many to the idea that a fight could be coming.

“The authorities are actively selling the idea of war,” Dmitry Muratov, the Russian newspaper editor who shared the Nobel Peace Prize this year, said in his acceptance speech in Oslo, Norway, this month. “People are getting used to the thought of its permissibility.”

Speaking to Russian military leaders Tuesday, Putin insisted that Russia did not want bloodshed but was prepared to respond with “military-technical measures” to what he described as the West’s aggressive behaviour in the region.

While there is no surging war fever taking hold, there are plenty of signs that the government has been nurturing a readiness for conflict. A $185 million four-year program started by the Kremlin this year aims to drastically increase Russians’ “patriotic education,” including a plan to attract at least 600,000 children as young as 8 to join the ranks of a uniformed Youth Army. Adults get their inculcation from state television, where political shows — one is called “Moscow. Kremlin. Putin.” — drive home the narrative of a fascist coup in Ukraine and a West bent on Russia’s destruction.

And all are united by the near-sacred memory of Soviet victory in World War II — one that the state has seized upon to shape an identity of a triumphal Russia that must be ready to take up arms once more.

Alexei Levinson, head of sociocultural research at the Levada Center, an independent Moscow pollster, calls the trend the “militarization of the consciousness” of Russians. In the center’s regular surveys, the army in 2018 became the country’s most trusted institution, surpassing even the president. This year, the share of Russians saying they feared a world war hit the highest level recorded in surveys dating to 1994 — 62%.

This does not mean, Levinson cautioned, that Russians would welcome a bloody territorial conquest of Ukraine. But it does mean, he said, that many have been conditioned to accept that Russia is locked in an existential rivalry with other powers in which the use of force is a possibility.

Celebration of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II — referred to as the Great Patriotic War in Russia — has played the most important role in that conditioning. Rather than promoting only a culture of remembrance of Soviet heroism and 27 million lives lost, the Kremlin applies the World War II narrative to the present day, positioning Russia as once again threatened by enemies bent on its destruction.

In his annual Victory Day speech this year after a monumental military parade, Putin tore into unnamed present-day enemies of Russia who were redeploying the Nazis’ “delusional theory of their exclusivity.” On state TV last week, a news show host ridiculed sanctions threats against Russia from those “who have no idea how to scare a people that lost more than 20 million of its men, its women and its elderly and kids in the last war.”

A popular World War II bumper sticker reads, “We can do it again.”

“There’s a transposition taking place of this victory” — in World War II — “into the present-day confrontation with the NATO bloc,” Levinson said.

One hour west of Moscow, the grand Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces opened last year. Its exterior is army green and its floors are made from weapons and tanks seized from the German Wehrmacht. Arched stained glass windows feature insignia and medals.

On a recent Sunday, the church and its accompanying museum and park were full of visitors. A group of fifth-graders from the Suvorov Military School in Tver, wearing their uniforms, filed out in two lines before marching to the museum. Their instructor said it was fundamentally important for the students, in their first year of military school, to learn about their predecessors.

“We’re doing a bit of propaganda, too,” the section leader quipped, declining to give his name.

Beyond the church grounds, visitors walked among snow-covered trenches in a simulated front line. Further afield, under the towering dome of the church, children could ride around a go-kart like track in a miniature replica of a battle tank.

“All children should come here and develop an interest in history from an early age,” said Alina Grengolm, as her 2-year-old son scrambled up an icy tank with his father’s assistance.

In Moscow recently, more than 600 people from across Russia gathered for a government-sponsored forum aimed at promoting patriotism among youth. Sergei Kiriyenko, Putin’s powerful deputy chief of staff, praised the attendees for doing “sacred work.”

At the conference, two “victory volunteers” spoke about their plans for teaching high school students about the Russian World War II victory at a regional event the following week.

In a Levada poll published last week, 39% of Russians said war between Russia and Ukraine was either inevitable or very likely. Half said the United States and NATO were to blame for the recent rise in tensions, and no more than 4% — across all age groups — said Russia was at fault.

The conviction across society that Russia is not the aggressor reflects a core ideology dating to Soviet times: that the country only fights defensive wars. The government has even earmarked money for movies that explore that theme. In April, the Culture Ministry decreed that “Russia’s historical victories” and “Russia’s peacekeeping mission” were among the priority topics for film producers seeking government funding.

“Right now, the idea is being pushed that Russia is a peace-loving country permanently surrounded by enemies,” said Anton Dolin, a Russian film critic. “This is contradicted by some facts, but if you show it at the movies and translate that idea into the time of the Great Patriotic War, we all instantly get a scheme familiar to everyone from childhood.”

On Russian state television, the narrative of a Ukraine controlled by neo-Nazis and used as a staging ground for Western aggression has been a common trope since the pro-Western revolution in Kyiv in 2014. After the revolution, Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, fomented a war in Ukraine’s east and sharpened its messaging about Russia as a “besieged fortress.”

Some analysts fear that the escalating rhetoric is laying the foundation for what Russia would cast as a defensive intervention to protect its security and Russian speakers in Ukraine. Yevgeny Popov, a newly elected member of parliament and a host of a popular political show on state TV, said in an interview that his ratings were up in recent weeks — “the tension is rising,” he said.

“I think that most people in Russia would only be in favour if we defended Russian people who live in these territories,” Popov said, referring to the separatist territories in Ukraine where hundreds of thousands have received Russian citizenship.

The effectiveness of the state’s militarized messaging is up for debate. Polls show that young people have a more positive view of the West than older Russians, and the pro-Kremlin sentiment prompted by the Crimea annexation appears to have dissipated amid economic stagnation.

But the Kremlin is doubling down. Its drive to increase “patriotic education” includes funding for groups like Vympel. The “military-patriotic” organization has some 100 chapters around the country, and it organized the recent skills competition in the city of Vladimir that ended Thursday.

Veronika Osipova, 17, from the city of Rostov-on-Don near Ukraine’s border, won the award for best female student. For years, she played the harp, graduating with honours from an elite music school. But in 2015, she started learning how to shoot a machine gun and throw grenades. She resolved to join the Russian military to protect the country against its enemies.

“I follow the example of girls who, under bullets and grenades, went to fight during the Great Patriotic War,” Osipova said. “They had no choice, but we do have it, and I choose the army.”

Stepping onto a podium in heavy boots and military fatigues at a ceremony outside Moscow, six teenagers accepted awards for an increasingly important discipline in Russia: patriotism.

Stepping onto a podium in heavy boots and military fatigues at a ceremony outside Moscow, six teenagers accepted awards for an increasingly important discipline in Russia: patriotism. For days, students from around the country had competed in activities like map-reading, shooting and history quizzes. The contest was funded in part by the Kremlin, which has been making “military-patriotic” education a priority. “Parents and children understand that this aggressive shell around us, it is tightening, it is hardening,” said Svyatoslav Omelchenko, a special forces veteran of the KGB who founded Vympel, the group running the event. “We are doing all we can to make sure that children are aware of that and to get them ready to go and serve.” Over the past eight years, the Russian government has promoted the idea that the motherland is surrounded by enemies, filtering the concept through national institutions like schools, the military, the news media and the Orthodox Church. It has even raised the possibility that the country might again have to defend itself as it did against the Nazis in World War II. Now, as Russia masses troops on the Ukrainian border, spurring Western fears of an impending invasion, the steady militarization of Russian society under President Vladimir Putin suddenly looms large, and appears to have inured many to the idea that a fight could be coming. “The authorities are actively selling the idea of war,” Dmitry Muratov, the Russian newspaper editor who shared the Nobel Peace Prize this year, said in his acceptance speech in Oslo, Norway, this month. “People are getting used to the thought of its permissibility.” Speaking to Russian military leaders Tuesday, Putin insisted that Russia did not want bloodshed but was prepared to respond with “military-technical measures” to what he described as the West’s aggressive behaviour in the region. While there is no surging war fever taking hold, there are plenty of signs that the government has been nurturing a readiness for conflict. A $185 million four-year program started by the Kremlin this year aims to drastically increase Russians’ “patriotic education,” including a plan to attract at least 600,000 children as young as 8 to join the ranks of a uniformed Youth Army. Adults get their inculcation from state television, where political shows — one is called “Moscow. Kremlin. Putin.” — drive home the narrative of a fascist coup in Ukraine and a West bent on Russia’s destruction. And all are united by the near-sacred memory of Soviet victory in World War II — one that the state has seized upon to shape an identity of a triumphal Russia that must be ready to take up arms once more. Alexei Levinson, head of sociocultural research at the Levada Center, an independent Moscow pollster, calls the trend the “militarization of the consciousness” of Russians. In the center’s regular surveys, the army in 2018 became the country’s most trusted institution, surpassing even the president. This year, the share of Russians saying they feared a world war hit the highest level recorded in surveys dating to 1994 — 62%. This does not mean, Levinson cautioned, that Russians would welcome a bloody territorial conquest of Ukraine. But it does mean, he said, that many have been conditioned to accept that Russia is locked in an existential rivalry with other powers in which the use of force is a possibility. Celebration of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War II — referred to as the Great Patriotic War in Russia — has played the most important role in that conditioning. Rather than promoting only a culture of remembrance of Soviet heroism and 27 million lives lost, the Kremlin applies the World War II narrative to the present day, positioning Russia as once again threatened by enemies bent on its destruction. In his annual Victory Day speech this year after a monumental military parade, Putin tore into unnamed present-day enemies of Russia who were redeploying the Nazis’ “delusional theory of their exclusivity.” On state TV last week, a news show host ridiculed sanctions threats against Russia from those “who have no idea how to scare a people that lost more than 20 million of its men, its women and its elderly and kids in the last war.” A popular World War II bumper sticker reads, “We can do it again.” “There’s a transposition taking place of this victory” — in World War II — “into the present-day confrontation with the NATO bloc,” Levinson said. One hour west of Moscow, the grand Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces opened last year. Its exterior is army green and its floors are made from weapons and tanks seized from the German Wehrmacht. Arched stained glass windows feature insignia and medals. On a recent Sunday, the church and its accompanying museum and park were full of visitors. A group of fifth-graders from the Suvorov Military School in Tver, wearing their uniforms, filed out in two lines before marching to the museum. Their instructor said it was fundamentally important for the students, in their first year of military school, to learn about their predecessors. “We’re doing a bit of propaganda, too,” the section leader quipped, declining to give his name. Beyond the church grounds, visitors walked among snow-covered trenches in a simulated front line. Further afield, under the towering dome of the church, children could ride around a go-kart like track in a miniature replica of a battle tank. “All children should come here and develop an interest in history from an early age,” said Alina Grengolm, as her 2-year-old son scrambled up an icy tank with his father’s assistance. In Moscow recently, more than 600 people from across Russia gathered for a government-sponsored forum aimed at promoting patriotism among youth. Sergei Kiriyenko, Putin’s powerful deputy chief of staff, praised the attendees for doing “sacred work.” At the conference, two “victory volunteers” spoke about their plans for teaching high school students about the Russian World War II victory at a regional event the following week. In a Levada poll published last week, 39% of Russians said war between Russia and Ukraine was either inevitable or very likely. Half said the United States and NATO were to blame for the recent rise in tensions, and no more than 4% — across all age groups — said Russia was at fault. The conviction across society that Russia is not the aggressor reflects a core ideology dating to Soviet times: that the country only fights defensive wars. The government has even earmarked money for movies that explore that theme. In April, the Culture Ministry decreed that “Russia’s historical victories” and “Russia’s peacekeeping mission” were among the priority topics for film producers seeking government funding. “Right now, the idea is being pushed that Russia is a peace-loving country permanently surrounded by enemies,” said Anton Dolin, a Russian film critic. “This is contradicted by some facts, but if you show it at the movies and translate that idea into the time of the Great Patriotic War, we all instantly get a scheme familiar to everyone from childhood.” On Russian state television, the narrative of a Ukraine controlled by neo-Nazis and used as a staging ground for Western aggression has been a common trope since the pro-Western revolution in Kyiv in 2014. After the revolution, Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, fomented a war in Ukraine’s east and sharpened its messaging about Russia as a “besieged fortress.” Some analysts fear that the escalating rhetoric is laying the foundation for what Russia would cast as a defensive intervention to protect its security and Russian speakers in Ukraine. Yevgeny Popov, a newly elected member of parliament and a host of a popular political show on state TV, said in an interview that his ratings were up in recent weeks — “the tension is rising,” he said. “I think that most people in Russia would only be in favour if we defended Russian people who live in these territories,” Popov said, referring to the separatist territories in Ukraine where hundreds of thousands have received Russian citizenship. The effectiveness of the state’s militarized messaging is up for debate. Polls show that young people have a more positive view of the West than older Russians, and the pro-Kremlin sentiment prompted by the Crimea annexation appears to have dissipated amid economic stagnation. But the Kremlin is doubling down. Its drive to increase “patriotic education” includes funding for groups like Vympel. The “military-patriotic” organization has some 100 chapters around the country, and it organized the recent skills competition in the city of Vladimir that ended Thursday. Veronika Osipova, 17, from the city of Rostov-on-Don near Ukraine’s border, won the award for best female student. For years, she played the harp, graduating with honours from an elite music school. But in 2015, she started learning how to shoot a machine gun and throw grenades. She resolved to join the Russian military to protect the country against its enemies. “I follow the example of girls who, under bullets and grenades, went to fight during the Great Patriotic War,” Osipova said. “They had no choice, but we do have it, and I choose the army.”

How the Kremlin is militarizing Russian society

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed security issues in their first telephone call on Tuesday.

Olaf Scholz, Vladimir Putin discuss security issues

Russia promotes 'military patriotism' in schools | Russia-Ukraine border crisis

The United States says it continues to monitor developments since mid-November. The US has been warning allies that Russia could be planning a large scale attack on Ukraine.

Tensions run high between Russia and West over Ukraine; no in-person meet between Biden, Putin

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Russian President Vladimir Putin conduct security talks

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