Russia says fortifying borders in response to advanced weapons deliveries to Ukraine

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia is fortifying its Western borders in response to supplies of more advanced Western weapons to Ukraine, Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said on Wednesday.

Speaking at a meeting of the joint board of defense ministries of Russia and Belarus in Minsk, Shoygu said F-16 fighter jets are expected to be delivered to Ukraine in 2024.

"The US and its allies are transferring armored vehicles, air defense equipment, high-precision missiles to Ukraine. In violation of international conventions, Washington has included cluster munitions in military aid packages. The issue of transferring F-16 tactical fighters to Kyiv has moved into the practical plane. They are expected to arrive next year. In response to these threats, we are taking appropriate measures, strengthening our western borders," he said.

Apart from arms supply, NATO countries provide Ukraine with intelligence, train Ukrainian troops, send mercenaries and military advisers, he asserted.

In parallel, the West has unleashed a hybrid war against Russia in the military, political, legal, economic and humanitarian spheres, he stressed.

In a situation of shear escalation on the borders of the two states, the Russian-Belarusian partnership takes particular importance, he said.

"Since February last year, the number of troops strengthening the bloc in Eastern Europe and the Baltic states has increased 2.5 times and exceeded 30,000 people. More than half of them are US military personnel," Shoygu said.

Shogy said NATO forces regularly hold large-scale exercises, the scenario of which is based on a military conflict with Russia and Belarus, adding that "the use of nuclear weapons is being practiced with the involvement of US strategic aviation and NATO tactical nuclear forces."

- Extradition of Nazi soldier Yaroslav Hunka

In a separate statement, the Defense Ministry said Shoygu ordered to file a request to the Interpol on the extradition of Yaroslav Hunka, a 98-year-old Ukrainian Nazi veteran who was honored by Canadian parliament in September.

Hunka's involvement in atrocities against the population in Lviv region, including the genocide of Jews and Poles, provides sufficient grounds to request his extradition for prosecution as crimes against humanity of this nature have no statute of limitations, the ministry emphasized.

"Hiding this Nazi criminal ... who has the blood of hundreds, if not thousands of our citizens, including children on his hands, cannot be justified. Hunka must take full responsibility for his bloody crimes," it said.