U.S. Military Convoy Arrives In Poland, Drawing Local Cheers, Russia Ire
U.S. soldiers and equipment arrived in Poland on January 12, greeted by many in Eastern Europe as a boost to security but viewed by Moscow as a "threat" on its doorstep.
Some residents waved American flags and cheered as the first of about 3,500 U.S. troops crossed the border from Germany, headed toward Zagan, where they will be based before fanning out across seven countries in the region.
"This is the fulfilment of a dream," said Michal Baranowski, director of the German Marshall Fund think tank in Warsaw. "And this is not just a symbolic presence but one with a real capability."
The Obama administration ordered the deployment in 2014 to reassure regional allies after Russia’s moves against Ukraine.
Russia has been highly critical of the deployment.
"These actions threaten our interests, our security," President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said on January 12. "Especially as it concerns a third party building up its military presence near our borders."
Based on reporting by AP, dpa, AFP, and TASS
Here is today's map of the security situation in eastern Ukraine, according to the National Security and Defense Council:
Kyiv bans Russia's independent TV Rain:
By RFE/RL
KYIV -- Ukraine has banned the prominent independent Russian television station Dozhd (Rain) TV from broadcasting in the country after a report identifying the boundary between Crimea and the rest of Ukraine as the Ukrainian-Russian border angered authorities in Kyiv.
The National Radio and TV Council ordered Ukrainian broadcasters to stop airing reports by Dozhd within about a month, Dozhd said. https://tvrain.ru/news/nats_po_ukraina-425256/
It quoted an official from the channel's Ukrainian partner, Volya, as saying the reason for the ban was that Dozhd had violated a prohibition on advertising.
The Interfax news agency, however, quoted a council member as saying Dozhd had failed to recognize Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity when it aired an image showing the boundary with Crimea as the state border, suggesting that Crimea is part of Russia.
Russia seized control of Crimea in 2014, but Kyiv and most of the rest of the world continue to consider the Black Sea peninsula part of Ukraine.
Dozhd Director Natalya Sindeyeva called the move "a pity."
The council has banned broadcasting of at least 35 Russian TV stations for infringing on national security and violating advertising regulations, according to Interfax. (w/Interfax)