The UK intelligence services have highlighted this Friday that Russia is suffering a “dramatic acceleration” of its process of “paramilitarization” in the wake of the start of the invasion of Ukraine, unleashed in February 2022 by order of the Russian president, Vladimir Putin.
“For at least the last 20 years, Russia has experienced a proliferation of paramilitary groups within its Armed Forces. However, this paramilitarization has accelerated dramatically since the invasion of Ukraine and is particularly important in crimean peninsula”, they have maintained, according to a statement published by the British Ministry of Defense through its account on the social network Twitter.
Thus, they have stated that “the leader of Crimea occupied by Russia, Sergei Aksionov, has played a key role in creating multiple local units, which often claim ties to Cossack tradition.” “Most have received some sort of semi-official status as regular Army reserve units,” he explained.
“It is likely that Aksyonov He wants to polish his patriotic credentials by recruiting fighters, but he is probably also concerned about the ability of the regular Army to defend the peninsula”, they have pointed out, before detailing that “the main element of the Russian garrison, the 22nd Army Corps, It is mostly deployed outside the peninsula and has suffered many casualties ”.
Wagner Group, the model
The Wagner paramilitary group has been involved in the conflict in Ukraine, specifically in the east of the country, in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. Its members have fought alongside Russian-backed separatist forces and then joined the invasion led by its visible face, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The “Wagnerites” have played a significant role in the seizure of Bakhmut, which they claim to have completed in May, before handing over their positions to the Russian Army. His boss maintains an angry polemic against the Ministry of Defense, which he accuses of having abandoned him to his fate for not providing him with sufficient support, which has resulted in large human losses for his group, estimated by Prigozhin himself at 20,000 dead militiamen.
The group has been the target of criticism and accusations of human rights violations, including mistreatment of prisoners and participation in illegal combat actions both in Ukraine and in its previous experiences in Syria and countries in Africa.
Meanwhile, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced Thursday that Russia had already begun transferring nuclear weapons to his country.a decision that, according to the Belarusian opposition, poses a threat “for Ukraine and for all of Europe.”
Lukashenko, who made this announcement on the sidelines of a regional summit in Moscow, indicated that his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, informed him that he had already signed the decree for the shipment of the nuclear warheads, although he did not specify whether the projectiles had already reached Belarusian territory.
“The transfer of nuclear weapons has begun”, Lukashenko said in response to a journalist, in a video on the unofficial channel of the Belarusian presidency on Telegram.
Moscow announced in March that it would deploy “tactical” nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus, fueling fears of an escalation in the conflict in Ukraine and drawing criticism from the international community, especially from Western powers.
“This not only endangers the lives of Belarusians, but also creates a threat to Ukraine and the whole of Europe.”said the Belarusian opposition in exile Svetlana Tijanóvskaya on Twitter on Thursday.
For his part, The White House on Thursday branded the transfer of Russian tactical nuclear weapons to Belarus “irresponsible”but qualified that they see no indication that Russia is preparing to use them.
“We have not seen any reason to adjust our nuclear posture,” government spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said during a press conference.
Jean-Pierre referred to the announcement made today by Minsk and Moscow as “a new example of making irresponsible and provocative decisions.”
In addition, he assured that the United States will continue to monitor the situation and stressed that the country remains committed to the defense of NATO.
(With information from Europa Press)
Keep reading:
Ukraine repelled a new Russian attack with drones and missiles that were aimed at critical and military infrastructure
Amnesty International asked the ICC to investigate the Taliban regime for crimes against humanity against women
The Kremlin began transferring nuclear weapons to Belarus and the United States criticized the transfer
Source-www.infobae.com