The warning boomed down from a drone flying over our heads: 'The enemy is in town. You must stay inside. Please close all the windows....
The warning boomed down from a drone flying over our heads: 'The enemy is in town. You must stay inside. Please close all the windows. Take all your documents. Warn the neighbors. Be cautious. Do not panic.'
Then a bedraggled group of people, some covered in blankets, were escorted into a bus before several rounds of sniper fire smacked into the upper floors of the building beside me and a mortar shell flew over my head.
As smoke billowed down the road, an armoured personnel carrier pulled up. A team of 11 soldiers in mottled-white winter camouflage gear jumped down, fanned out behind the vehicle and moved stealthily down the street.
The soldiers scanned the Soviet-era buildings flanking the road, automatic rifles in hand. Suddenly there was mayhem as they blazed away into the buildings while the APC pumped out a barrage of shells.
The bullets were real. But this was an exercise – a show of strength by Ukrainian forces designed to send a clear message to the Kremlin that they were ready to resist the Russian military forces building over the border just six miles away.
And the location could not have been more symbolic – for we were in the shattered urban landscape of Chernobyl, devastated by a nuclear accident in April 1986 that was covered up with terrible consequences by an appalling Russian regime.
Ukraine is holding military exercises in Chernobyl, with troops firing at abandoned buildings and launching grenades in the deserted exclusion zone as Russian troops continue to amass on the border
The live-fire training - carried out in one of the most radioactive places on earth after the 1986 nuclear disaster - came as warnings swirl over a potential Russian invasion
Special forces, police and national guard held the exercises on snowy streets near abandoned Soviet hotels and buildings, some of which still display the hammer and sickle
'These are the ruins of the Soviet empire,' said defence minister Oleksii Reznikov, pointing out we had just passed a building displaying the insignia of the Soviet Union. 'We will ensure that the Russian empire does not come back to our borders.'
In normal times, few would consider the infamously deserted town of Pripyat a target for military assault. The eerie buildings, snow-covered streets, fallow fields and silver birch forests remain contaminated after the explosion of a nuclear reactor, which released 400 times the radiation of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima.
But these are not normal times. Ukraine has been encircled by the armed forces of another expansionist Russian regime – and thousands of Moscow troops have piled into Belarus for military drills that, if they invaded, places Chernobyl on the closest path to the capital Kiev.
The National Guard exercise, a rehearsal for urban warfare hosted by the defence and interior ministers before invited diplomats, dignitaries and the media, was impressive and smooth.
It involved air reconnaissance, snipers and a street battle that left windows riddled with bullet holes, before culminating with an assault involving armoured vehicles on a building occupied by a small unit of 'enemy' forces in prepared fortified positions.
Ahead of the training - the first of its kind staged in Pripyat which was once home to 50,000 residents - officials with Geiger counters had to scan the route to check there were no radioactive hotspots
Servicemen take part in a joint tactical and special exercise of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ukrainian National Guard and Ministry Emergency in the ghost city of Pripyat
Since it was designed to show off all interior ministry forces, there were also fire crews putting out a blazing building and rescuing 'injured' people, mine-sweeping teams, removal of an unexploded missile and medics treating 'wounded' fighters.
After the bullets stopped flying, one French journalist asked a guardsman lowering his gun if they felt bad about destroying such historic monuments. 'No,' came back the curt reply.
One member of the assault team, giving his nickname as 'Litva' (Lithuania), said: 'We did a good job – we killed all the enemies. We are training to be ready for any scenario. We are ready to protect our country.'
His defiant words were underlined by the two ministers. When I asked them to define the message they wanted to send, interior minister Denys Monastyrsky said it was to reassure their own citizens that their forces were ready for anything.
The defence minister was more explicit. Reznikov said it was a deliberate warning Russia and its supporters would be stopped if trying to repeat the events of 2014, when Moscow stirred up protests that led to two regions breaking away from Ukraine and a war that has killed 14,000 people and displaced another 2million. 'Russian citizens came and occupied our territory but there will be no repeat,' he said firmly.
Ukraine has carried out drills while the country braces for a possible military offensive after Russia massed more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine's borders in recent weeks
Troops in winter camouflage practised clearing armed attackers from buildings, targeted mortar fire and took on snipers in urban conditions
This follows a series of warnings, including in recent weeks by Britain and the United States, of plots to destabilise Ukraine with violent protests, faked propaganda and a plan to install a pro-Moscow stooge to run the country.
Another Ukrainian government source told me they have strong intelligence of plans to stir up unrest in Kiev and eastern Ukraine after the Winter Olympics finish on February 20, which could be used as pretext for invasion.
'We stand ready for a new series of provocations as soon as the Olympic Games are completed,' the minister said.
'If the Russian leadership want to direct aggression against us, they need some excuse.'
Three months ago, Kiev deployed 8,500 extra guards into the border with Belarus – including into the 1,000-square-mile Chernobyl exclusion zone.
This region was largely unguarded until Alexander Lukashenko, the long-serving Belarusian dictator, slid into Moscow's embrace after his brutal crackdown on pro-democracy protesters led to ostracisation by other countries in Europe.
Nato estimates 30,000 Russian troops, including Spetsnaz special forces, are involved in the Belarus drills along with tanks, fighter aircraft and missile systems transported from Siberia – 'the biggest Russian deployment since the Cold War' according to the body's secretary Jens Stoltenberg.
Reznikov, however, insisted there was 'no need to panic', claiming they saw no evidence of the military strike units that would lead an invasion massing on that particular border.
Emergency service workers staged evacuations - a speaker on a drone telling residents to clear out - and fought fires caused by fighting
Russia, which seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and backs separatists in the East of the country, denies planning to attack
It comes as Russian state TV claims that Ukraine is about to launch a NATO-backed attack on pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country, in what is feared to be a Kremlin propaganda effort to justify an invasion.
Three of Russia's largest state-owned media channels - Channel 1, Rossiya 1 and NTV - ran Thursday evening bulletins that spoke of 'hospitals and artillery' being deployed near rebel-held areas in the Donbass region, 120,000 Ukrainian troops armed with NATO weapons near the frontline, and an increase in shelling.
Separately, US intelligence sources alleged that Russia is about to stage a 'false flag' operation involving faked drone attacks on the Donbass region or Russian territory - including footage of destroyed locations strewn with corpses and fake mourners - as a pre-text for invading in order to prevent a 'genocide'.
Ukraine has already accused Belarus of trying to stage a so-called 'false flag' operation, by claiming to have shot down one of Kiev's spy drones near the border with Russia on Thursday. Belarusian state media circulated images of what it said was a downed Ukrainian drone, but Ukraine's foreign ministry 'categorically denied' it was genuine.
'The intensity with which Russian-state controlled media is spreading a false story about a fake UA drone allegedly 'violating Belarusian airspace' is a crystal clear example drawn straight from the pages of Russia's disinformation playbook. Do not be misled,' foreign ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko tweeted.
Contrary to Russian state media's claims, satellite images reveal it is Putin who has massed around 130,000 troops backed by tanks and artillery on Ukraine's borders - and is in the process of staging elaborate war games in Belarus that observers fear could be used as cover to stage an invasion.
Belarusian tanks take part in live-fire drills on a training ground near Brest - part of huge joint war games with Russia which observers fear could be used to disguise an invasion
Rocket artillery open fire during huge military drills taking place in Brest, Belarus, which began on Wednesday and are set to continue for at least another week
A rocket explodes on a training ground in western Belarus, amid joint 'combat readiness' drills being carried out with Russia
Mobile artillery units open fire during huge war games that are currently taking place in Belarus, amid tensions with Ukraine
A Russian tank fires its main cannon during joint war games currently taking place in Belarus, near the border with Ukraine
Russia, which seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 and backs separatists in the east of the country, is demanding security guarantees including a promise NATO will never admit Kiev as it has amassed some 100,000 troops near the Ukrainian border.
The United States has said there is little chance of Ukraine joining NATO soon but that the country should decide its own future as the powers clash over their spheres of influence in post-Cold War Europe.
U.S. intelligence believes Russia could use a fabricated video showing the graphic aftermath of an explosion, including equipment appearing to belong to Ukraine or allied nations, to justify an incursion.
It 'would involve actors playing mourners for people who are killed in an event that they (Russia) would have created themselves... (and) deployment of corpses to represent bodies purportedly killed,' U.S. Deputy National Security Advisor Jonathan Finer told MSNBC.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the reports, according to the TASS news agency, saying similar things had been said previously but amounted to nothing.
Moscow has denied accusations in the past that it is trying to manufacture a conflict and says it is not planning an invasion but that it could take unspecified military action if its security demands are not met.
The Kremlin accused Washington on Thursday of ignoring its calls to ease the standoff, a day after the United States announced it would send nearly 3,000 extra troops to Poland and Romania.
'It's obvious that these are not steps aimed at de-escalating tensions, but on the contrary they are actions that lead to increasing tension,' Peskov said on a conference call on Thursday.
'We constantly call on our American counterparts to stop aggravating tensions on the European continent. Unfortunately, the Americans continue to do so,' he said.
Paratroopers with the U.S. Army boarded aircraft on Thursday to leave for Eastern Europe 'in support of assuring our NATO allies and our partners in deterring Russia,' U.S. Army spokesman Matthew Visser said.
The soldiers were departing from Fort Bragg in North Carolina. Around 1,700 service members, mainly from the 82nd Airborne Division, were being deployed to Poland, while 300 others will move to Germany, he said.
Washington and NATO have expresses a readiness to discuss arms control and confidence-building measures. Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier in the week that Moscow was still interested in dialogue.
In Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said there had been a significant movement of Russian military forces into Ukraine's northern neighbor Belarus in recent days.
The Russia-Belarus joint military drills, running until Feb. 20, have provided Moscow with cover to further increase forces near Ukraine.
'This is the biggest Russian deployment there since the Cold War,' said Stoltenberg, adding the expected deployment includes 30,000 combat troops, Spetsnaz special operations forces, SU-35 fighter jets, S-400 air defence systems and nuclear-capable Iskander missiles.
The Kremlin has described the Allied Resolve exercises as a rehearsal for repelling external aggression and says its forces will withdraw after the drills.
Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu arrived in Belarus on Thursday to inspect the troops.
Mil Mi-8 helicopters of the Belarusian Air Force take part in joint war games with Russia in Brest, Belarus, on Thursday
Belarus Air Force Yak-130 trainer aircraft take part in military drills in the skies over Brest, Belarus, on Thursday
Yakovlev Yak-130 aircraft of the Belarusian Air Force let off heat flares as they take part in training exercises in Brest, Belarus
Paratroopers take part in a jump during training exercises meant to test the joint readiness of Belarusian and Russian troops
A Mil Mi-24 helicopter of the Belarusian Air Force takes part in a joint training exercise with Russian troops on Thursday
The Belarusian defence minister released images from the exercises showing troops parachuting to the ground, fighter jets in the sky, soldiers dismounting from a helicopter holding weapons, and tanks firing and manoeuvring.
Belarus shares its western border with NATO members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia, while Ukraine lies to its south.
Support for Russia came from China.
Their two foreign ministers 'coordinated their positions' during a meeting in Beijing on Thursday, the Chinese foreign ministry said.
China expressed understanding and support for Russia's position on security regarding Russia's relationship with the United States and NATO, it said.
Ukrainian Special Forces showing off their IPI Malyuk assault rifles, amid tensions with Russia
Putin was set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday before attending the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics.
The U.S. State Department warned Russia that a closer relationship between Moscow and Beijing would not make up for the consequences of an invasion and only make the Russian economy 'more brittle.'
Elsewhere, world leaders continued their efforts to resolve the crisis.
In Kiev, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan held talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskiy and offered to host a meeting between Putin and Zelenskiy.
In a move likely to grate with Moscow, Zelenskiy used the meeting to trumpet a deal enabling Ukrainian factories to produce Turkish drones that have already been deployed in Ukraine's war against Russia-backed rebels in its eastern Donbass region.
In Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron said he and Polish President Andrzej Duda had discussed the possibility of a three-way meeting along with Germany's Olaf Scholz in coming days on the situation in Ukraine.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called for Russia to return to a path of 'peace and dialogue' or face sanctions as the EU worked on a joint response to a letter many of its members received from Russia seeking security guarantees.
Russia has also denied any intention of invading Ukraine, despite NATO warning of the biggest deployment of Moscow's forces in Belarus since Soviet times.
'Over the last days, we have seen a significant movement of Russian military forces into Belarus. This is the biggest Russian deployment there since the Cold War,' said Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
However, Ukraine also played down the threat of a Russian invasion.
Defence minister Oleksii Reznikov said 'the threat exists, the risks exist, but they have existed since 2014, ever since Russia has become an aggressor.'
Currently, 'there are no grounds for panic, fear, flight or the packing of bags', he said.
MT-LB armoured personnel carriers take part in war games in Brest, Belarus, on Thursday as part of joint drills with Russia
Tanks roll across a military firing range and open fire with their cannons during joint training exercises in Belarus
Smoke from an explosion rises into the air as Belarusian and Russian militaries take part in joint training exercises in Belarus
An explosion lights up a firing range in Brest, Belarus, during joint training exercises involving Moscow and Minsk's forces
And the head of the armed forces in Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny denied any plans for offensives by his country in the Donbas or Crimea.
'No orders or discussions about a military operation in Crimea and Donbass have been held,' he said.
UK foreign secretary Liz Truss said of the US false flag stunt claims: 'This is clear and shocking evidence of Russia's unprovoked aggression and underhand activity to destabilise Ukraine.
'This bellicose intent towards a sovereign, democratic country is completely unacceptable and we condemn it in the strongest possible terms.'
Belarus has protested to Ukraine after an alleged spy drone was downed on its territory.
New footage shows the drone for the first time.
Minsk claimed the unmanned reconnaissance flyer was on an illegal mission to monitor massing Russian troops near Brest.
'An analysis of data from the drone systems shows that it was launched from Ukrainian territory to accomplish an illegal reconnaissance mission over the Brestsky range [one of the ranges to host the joint Russian-Belarusian exercise],' said the Belarus foreign ministry.
Ukraine's foreign ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko denied launching the spy drone, claiming the story was 'mythical'.
It was 'another provocation by the authorities in Belarus…
'We urge Minsk not to play along with Russia's destabilising actions.
'Peace on the border between Belarus and Ukraine is in the interest of the entire region.'
A Russian machine-gunner opens fire during war games to test the 'combat readiness' of Russian and Belarusian troops
Ukrainian armed forces fire rocket launchers as they take part in training drills amid fears that Russia could be about to invade
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