Russia extends drills in Belarus

Russia has extended military drills in Belarus which were due to end on Sunday.

About 30,000 Russian troops will continue military exercises in Belarus which borders Ukraine.

“We are on the brink of an invasion,” said Secretary of State Antony Blinken regarding the extension of Russian drills in Belarus.

“We’re talking about the potential for war in Europe,” Vice President Kamala Harris said at a conference in Munich, Germany. 

The tensions in eastern Ukraine exacerbate as Russian-backed ‘rebels’ and the Ukrainian government continue artillery shelling in eastern Ukraine, violating the ceasefire agreement.

Russia has already been accused of organizing a controlled-revolution in Ukraine to use as an excuse to invade.

French President Emmanuel Macron and Russia’s Vladimir Putin discussed the turmoil in eastern Ukraine in a phone call on Sunday. Putin blames the Ukrainian military for the escalation of tensions in Donbas.

Belarus Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin has said that the reason of the extended exercises was to ensure the “de-escalation of military preparations of ill-wishers near our common borders.”

Russia can use troops in Belarus to invade Ukraine according to NATO.

Russia however, has denied any plans of invading Ukraine