Six years after it invaded Ukraine, Russia is at it again, menacing its neighbour and undermining the security of us all. The record build-up of 85,000 troops, plus thousands of tanks, missile trucks, armoured vehicles and long-range guns now deployed on Ukraine’s borders and in the territories that Russia prised away in 2014, are a formidable arsenal. But why are they there?
Russia tells western officials that this is just an exercise. The Kremlin’s media machine says it is a response to Ukrainian aggression. Both explanations are false. Russia has brushed aside inquiries about the nature, extent and duration of the build-up, which breaches arms-control rules about notification and transparency. Ukraine is not attacking anyone or planning to. It does want to regain the territories