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Ukraine's border deployments on 25 November 2021
Summary
A look back at the security picture around Ukraine on 25 November 2021, from the Belarusian frontier to the east.
What was the picture on 25 November 2021, as Ukraine looked at pressure on more than one border? The reports from the preceding days show a country preparing on several fronts at once.
On 24 November 2021, Ukraine launched a "special operation" on the Belarusian border. It involved troops from the National Guard, police and the armed forces, including anti-tank and airborne units. The stated concerns were a possible migrant crisis and a Russian military build-up on Ukraine's borders.
The eastern front drew warnings too. On 23 November 2021, Ukraine pointed to the "combat preparedness" of separatist forces in eastern Ukraine, as the Russian military presence on the border increased, and cautioned that a new conflict was possible. The separatists, as reported at the time, had begun mobilising reservists the day before, on 22 November 2021.
A message from London
On 24 November 2021, British foreign secretary Liz Truss warned Russia that any attack on Ukraine would be a "grave mistake". She added that the UK was working closely with its NATO allies to provide support to Ukraine.
Taken together, these reports from 23 and 24 November 2021 describe the setting on 25 November 2021: security forces deployed along the Belarusian frontier, warnings about separatist readiness in the east, and a public message of support from a NATO ally.
