Ukrainian Defence Minister Andriy Taran submitted his resignation on Tuesday, Taras Melnychuk, a parliamentary representative, confirmed on his Telegram channel. Another government official said that Taran, 66, “has complaints about his state of health.”
Taran was Ukraine’s Defence Minister since March 2020 and became the fourth senior official to tender his resignation in the past 24 hours. Earlier, Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Lyubchenko and two other deputy ministers, Oleksiy Reznikov and Oleh Uruskiy, also stepped down. These resignations come amid a broader cabinet reshuffle that will take place this week.
Curiously, Taran’s resignation came a day after The Washington Post reported renewed troop movement on the Russia-Ukraine border. Two anonymous government sources monitoring the region from Europe and the United States informed the news outlet about the “irregular movement of equipment and personnel.”
In a tweet, New York Times journalist Christiaan Triebert explained how satellite pictures indicate the “presence of a large ground forces deployment—including tanks, Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC), self-propelled artillery—to a training area north of Yelnya, Russia.”
However, in a statement, Ukraine’s Defence Ministry denied any build-up of Russian forces on the border and said it had observed “no additional deployment.” The statement also elaborated on videos on social media that show the movement of Russian military trains and truck convoys, calling these “special informational and psychological actions.”
Moreover, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters that “the movement of our military equipment and army units…is exclusively our business.” Peskov added that the claims were “low-quality” and asserted that there was no need to “waste time” on this issue. He also said that “Russia has never threatened anyone.”
Reacting to the developments, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said in a press briefing: “We are aware of public reports of unusual Russian military activity near Ukraine, and we’re going to continue to consult with allies and partners on this issue. I can’t speak for Russian intentions, but we are certainly monitoring the region closely as we always do.”
Tensions between Russia and Ukraine have reached an all-time high this year. On Monday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Kyiv of destabilising activity, after it used a Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2 drone to strike a position controlled by Russian-backed separatists in the Donbas region. Earlier this year, Russia increased its troops near the Ukrainian border, the most significant build-up since 2014.
Such actions have escalated hostilities in the region, particularly after United States Defence Minister Lloyd Austin expressed ardent support for North Atlantic Treaty Organization ally Ukraine during his visit to the country last month.
Ukrainian Defence Minister Quits Amid Military Build-up At Russian Border
Russia denied any claims of military build up as Ukrainian Defence Minister Andriy Taran submitted his resignation letter ahead of crucial cabinet reshuffle.
November 3, 2021
Ukrainian Defence Minister Andriy Taran SOURCE: REUTERS