A close ally of Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has claimed that the chances of a Russian incursion happening on the date a number of media outlets predict are close to zero, just hours before Russia’s armed forces announced that they are beginning to withdraw from nearby Belarus.
Speaking as part of an appearance on Ukrainian talk show Pravo Na Vlady on Monday, David Arakhamia, the head of the “Servant of the People” faction in Kiev’s parliament, cast doubt that a Russian invasion is looming.
“During the escalation in the spring of 2021, 220,000 Russian soldiers and equipment were concentrated around Ukraine’s borders – theoretically enough for a major attack,” he explained. “Now Russia has 123,000 troops, which is almost half the number, at the Ukrainian frontier.”