Russia’s soldiery near the border with Ukraine, the West worries the gravest

Key takeaways: 

• Escalating Ukraine-Russia strains will be head and centre at the NATO conference next week.
• Vadim, a squadron commander for the Ukrainian troops, says troops presently posted in the Donetsk area are on high alert and will stay there ‘until the end.’ 
• Ukrainian troops have been in a protracted battle with Russian-supported separatist armies in Eastern Ukraine since 2014. 
• Now, several Ukrainian and Western officials and army analysts fear that Russia could be preparing to start an invasion because it is leading forces and equipment closer to its border with Ukraine.

Russia builds up its military closer to the border followed by Ukraine: 

A Ukrainian soldier walks through a dirty trench near the city of Donetsk, in Eastern Ukraine, before pausing to push a rifle through a fence toward the Russia-backed separatists posted around 250 metres away.

For almost seven years, the conflict has played out in this area of the country, challenging thousands of lives and suspending communities in a constant environment of worry and risk.

Now, the Ukrainian soldiers on this front line say they are ready for whatever may happen next.

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“We won’t leave,” stated Vadim, a commander with the government units who talked with a freelancer operating for CBC and only wanted to be identified by one name. Source – cbc.ca

“We will stay here until the end.” Source – cbc.ca

The battle between government units and Russia-supported separatist militias in the southeastern area of Donbas near the Ukraine-Russia border has extended to explode despite various ceasefires since it broke out seven years ago. But now, U.S. and Ukrainian officials, as well as officers of some NATO nations, have slammed the alarm that Russia could be preparing to begin an invasion because it is leading military units closer to its border with Ukraine.