From our newsroom:
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu says Russia will strengthen its forces in "strategic areas" as part of efforts to ensure no other country can dominate it.
Shoigi made the remarks at a meeting with the Defense Ministry board on January 30.
He said that "the task set by the president -- to prevent military superiority over Russia -- will be fulfilled unconditionally."
Shoigu said that Russia plans to "strengthen our troops and forces in strategic areas" in response to the "military-political situation" near its borders.
Russia's ties with the West are severely strained over the conflict in Ukraine, where NATO and Kyiv say Moscow has sent troops and weapons to help separatists fight government forces.
President Vladimir Putin portrays Russia as a country under constant threat from the West. He said this week that Ukrainian troops were acting as a "foreign NATO legion," an assertion dismissed as "nonsense" by the head of the alliance.
Based on reporting by Reuters, Interfax, and TASS
Ukraine Rebel Leader Says Government Forces Surrounded
From our newsroom:
Russia has warned the European Union that a decision to extend existing sanctions over Moscow's interference in Ukraine would further damage relations.
In a statement on January 30, the Russian Foreign Ministry also suggested the EU decision could jeopardize the chances for an end to the conflict between pro-Russian separatists and government forces in eastern Ukraine.
"It's time for the European Union to really think about the lack of prospects for the sanctions standoff, which only harms the people and the economies of our countries," the ministry said.
EU foreign ministers decided on January 29 to extend sanctions imposed after Russia's annexation of Crimea last year until September, instead of letting them expire in March.
They also agreed to draft a list of additional individuals to be potentially hit with sanctions early next month.
The Russian statement blamed Kyiv for a recent escalation of fighting in eastern Ukraine, saying it was "initiated by Kyiv just before the EU meeting."
Kyiv and the West blame the separatists and Russia for the escalation of fighting in the conflict that has killed more than 5,100 people since April.
The latest from our Moscow correspondent @TomBalmforth:
Meet Yevgeny Fyodorov, The Russian Lawmaker Who Wants More Western Sanctions
Russia's central bank has cut the key interest rate by 2 percentage points, to 15 percent, and the ruble has lost value following the announcement. -- AP, AFP
Today's map from Ukrainian military authorities.
A number of people making this point today in connection with the treason charge against Russian woman Svetlana Davydova, who is said to have phoned the Ukrainian Embassy because she suspected Russian troops were on the move to Ukrainian territory from a base near her home.