Photo: Vladimir Gerdo/TASS
A ghost wanders into Europe. The ghost of militarism. From the Far East, from Buryatia and Eastern Siberia, trains with military equipment go to the West. But the crews do not accompany artillery and anti-aircraft systems. There is no one in the echelons except ferry teams.
This is not an invasion force in the Donbass. This is how our military supports the efforts of diplomats preparing to continue negotiations with the US and NATO on a security system in Europe. Therefore, equipment to increase visual pressure on the «partners» defiantly knocks on the rails, not hiding from intelligence satellites, slowly.
These are not the usual fast movements (for example, to the Crimea or Kazakhstan). Two days ago, part of the trains passed Novosibirsk, and they are not very well visible from NATO satellites. Will they all reach Europe, or will they only partly mark a formidable movement? It very likely depends on the progress of the negotiations.
In the epic propaganda battle that began in November, designed to ensure a profitable outcome of the negotiations, not only the diplomatic corps and journalists, but also the military are participating on both sides. As Novaya Gazeta wrote, Russian diplomacy stage by stage is conducting a special operation to ensure the negotiation process with the United States and NATO. It includes, among other things, threats and elements of disinformation. The entire state-owned (in the broadest sense) Russian press is also taking the most active part in this operation.
A similar campaign is developing on the other side, the course of which is also reflected in all the somehow significant media in the USA, Europe and, of course, Ukraine.
The central element of this virtual struggle «from the other side» was the map of the capture of Ukraine by Russian troops, made in the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Armed Forces of Ukraine under the leadership of its chief Kirill Budanov.
On the eve of his interview with the Military Times newspaper the card was handed over to American journalists. In fact, from this interview one should count the beginning of the active phase of preparation for negotiations.