{"id":61635,"date":"2021-12-09T19:50:35","date_gmt":"2021-12-09T19:50:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/12\/09\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T11:23:34","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T11:23:34","slug":"russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/09\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia military chief warns Ukraine against attacking rebels"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">MOSCOW \u2014 Russia\u2019s top military officer on Thursday sternly warned neighboring Ukraine against trying to reclaim control over separatist areas by force, saying that Moscow will \u201csuppress\u201d any such attempt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The tough statement by Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian military\u2019s General Staff, comes amid soaring tensions over a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2021\/11\/10\/russian-troop-movements-show-wider-conflict-is-possible-top-ukraine-official-says\/\" target=\"_blank\">Russian troop buildup near the border with Ukraine<\/a> that stoked Ukrainian and Western fears of a possible invasion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. President Joe Biden warned his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/07\/biden-putin-square-off-as-tension-grows-on-ukraine-border\/\" target=\"_blank\">in a video call Tuesday<\/a> that the West will respond with bruising economic sanctions that would inflict acute pain on Moscow if it invades Ukraine. At the same time, Biden made it clear Wednesday that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2021\/12\/08\/no-plans-to-send-more-troops-to-ukraine-biden-says\/\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. troops wouldn\u2019t be sent to Ukraine<\/a> to confront the Russians, and announced future talks between the U.S., its top NATO allies and Russia to address some of Moscow\u2019s security concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/news\/your-military\/2021\/12\/08\/russians-have-120000-troops-on-its-border-increased-intel-gathering-ukraine-ministry-says\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Russia3.jpg.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Russians have 120,000 troops on its border, increased intel gathering, Ukraine ministry says<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">There are about 98,000 Russian ground troops and about 22,000 air and naval forces arrayed around the former Soviet satellite, according to a Ukrainian military assessment obtained by Military Times.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russia has rejected Ukrainian and Western claims of plotting an attack and described them as a cover-up for a possible attempt by Ukraine to retake the rebel-held areas. Ukraine has denied such plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Thursday, Gerasimov reinforced Moscow\u2019s warning to Ukraine not to try to use force to reclaim control of the east, saying that \u201cany provocations by Ukrainian authorities to settle the Donbas problems by force will be suppressed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. intelligence officials say Russia has stationed about 70,000 troops near its border with Ukraine and has begun planning for a possible invasion as soon as early next year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Speaking to foreign military attaches, Gerasimov dismissed Western concerns about the Russian military buildup, arguing that Moscow is free to deploy its troops wherever it likes on its territory and calling the claim of a possible Russian invasion \u201ca lie.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He charged that Ukraine is to blame for escalating tensions in its war-torn eastern industrial heartland, known as Donbas, by deploying new weapons there, including U.S.-supplied Javelin anti-tank missiles and Turkish drones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russia and Ukraine have been&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/europe-russia-ukraine-vladimir-putin-moscow-1170930d07c3b41d227dbf44b062aa26\">locked in a bitter tug-of-war<\/a>&nbsp;since 2014, when Moscow annexed the Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula and threw its support behind a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine that has killed more than 14,000 people. Ukraine and the West accused Russia of sending troops and weapons to back the separatists, which Moscow has repeatedly denied.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gerasimov complained about NATO\u2019s growing presence near Russian borders and the increasing number and scope of drills by alliance troops. He particularly noted an increase in patrol flights by U.S. strategic bombers near Russian territory, saying they practiced launching cruise missiles at targets in Russia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In remarks that followed up on Putin\u2019s push for Western security guarantees to preclude NATO\u2019s expansion to Ukraine and other ex-Soviet neighbors, Gerasimov said Moscow is open to discussions on European and global security to \u201cde-escalate tensions and increase the level of mutual trust.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Russia\u2019s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov also voiced hope that the U.S. and its NATO allies would listen to Moscow\u2019s security concerns and engage in meaningful discussions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt primarily refers to refraining from military activities near our borders and the development of military and military-technical presence in those territories,\u201d Ryabkov said during a panel discussion on international affairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">He emphasized that Russia wants legally-binding guarantees of its security, noting that Western powers broke verbal promises \u2014 given to Moscow in the early 1990s \u2014 that NATO wouldn\u2019t expand eastward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is a deep crisis in the Euro-Atlantic region that is fraught with a potential conflict,\u201d Ryabkov said, adding that a controversy similar in scope to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis between the U.S. and the Soviet Union couldn\u2019t be excluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf it continues like that, the logic of developments could lead to us to suddenly waking up to something like that,\u201d Ryabkov said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The statement comes amid soaring tensions over a Russian troop buildup near the border with Ukraine that stoked Ukrainian and Western fears of a possible invasion.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":46736,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":8,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[101,8,23,89,12,26],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3630,1290],"class_list":["post-61635","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news-roundup","category-flashpoints","category-home","category-middle-column","category-news","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"CKO3YAV6B5FSNABSIENMCMB6RQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/09\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Russia military chief warns Ukraine against attacking rebels - Navy Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The statement comes amid soaring tensions over a Russian troop buildup near the border with Ukraine that stoked Ukrainian and Western fears of a possible invasion.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/09\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Russia military chief warns Ukraine against attacking rebels\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The statement comes amid soaring tensions over a Russian troop buildup near the border with Ukraine that stoked Ukrainian and Western fears of a possible invasion.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/09\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Navy Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-12-09T19:50:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T11:23:34+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dasha Litvinova, The Associated Press, Vladimir Isachenkov, The Associated Press\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dasha Litvinova, The Associated Press, Vladimir Isachenkov, The Associated Press\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t    \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t    \"@graph\": [\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/09\\\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\\\/#article\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/09\\\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"author\": {\n\t                \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"headline\": \"Russia military chief warns Ukraine against attacking rebels\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-12-09T19:50:35+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T11:23:34+00:00\",\n\t            \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/09\\\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\\\/\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"wordCount\": 638,\n\t            \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/09\\\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21341671897496.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"articleSection\": [\n\t                \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t                \"Flashpoints\",\n\t                \"Home\",\n\t                \"Middle Column\",\n\t                \"News\",\n\t                \"Newsletters\"\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t                    \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/09\\\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\\\/#respond\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/09\\\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\\\/\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/09\\\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Russia military chief warns Ukraine against attacking rebels - Navy Times\",\n\t            \"isPartOf\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/09\\\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/09\\\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21341671897496.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"datePublished\": \"2021-12-09T19:50:35+00:00\",\n\t            \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T11:23:34+00:00\",\n\t            \"description\": \"The statement comes amid soaring tensions over a Russian troop buildup near the border with Ukraine that stoked Ukrainian and Western fears of a possible invasion.\",\n\t            \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/09\\\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": [\n\t                        \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/09\\\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\\\/\"\n\t                    ]\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/09\\\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21341671897496.jpg.jpg\",\n\t            \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/AP21341671897496.jpg.jpg\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/2021\\\/12\\\/09\\\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t            \"itemListElement\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 1,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 2,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Flashpoints\",\n\t                    \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/flashpoints\\\/\",\n\t                    \"ad_zone\": \"flashpoints\"\n\t                },\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t                    \"position\": 3,\n\t                    \"name\": \"Russia military chief warns Ukraine against attacking rebels\"\n\t                }\n\t            ]\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#website\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"description\": \"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times\",\n\t            \"publisher\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"potentialAction\": [\n\t                {\n\t                    \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t                    \"target\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t                        \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t                    },\n\t                    \"query-input\": {\n\t                        \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t                        \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t                        \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t                    }\n\t                }\n\t            ],\n\t            \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t            \"name\": \"Navy Times\",\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/\",\n\t            \"logo\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/navy-logo-white.png\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"Navy Times\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t            }\n\t        },\n\t        {\n\t            \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t            \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t            \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t            \"image\": {\n\t                \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t                \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t                \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t                \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t                \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t            },\n\t            \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/navytimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t        }\n\t    ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Russia military chief warns Ukraine against attacking rebels - Navy Times","description":"The statement comes amid soaring tensions over a Russian troop buildup near the border with Ukraine that stoked Ukrainian and Western fears of a possible invasion.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/militarytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/09\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Russia military chief warns Ukraine against attacking rebels","og_description":"The statement comes amid soaring tensions over a Russian troop buildup near the border with Ukraine that stoked Ukrainian and Western fears of a possible invasion.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/09\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\/","og_site_name":"Navy Times","article_published_time":"2021-12-09T19:50:35+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T11:23:34+00:00","author":"Dasha Litvinova, The Associated Press, Vladimir Isachenkov, The Associated Press","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dasha Litvinova, The Associated Press, Vladimir Isachenkov, The Associated Press","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/09\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/09\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"Russia military chief warns Ukraine against attacking rebels","datePublished":"2021-12-09T19:50:35+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T11:23:34+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/09\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\/"},"wordCount":638,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/09\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21341671897496.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Daily News Roundup","Flashpoints","Home","Middle Column","News","Newsletters"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/09\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/09\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/09\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\/","name":"Russia military chief warns Ukraine against attacking rebels - Navy Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/09\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/09\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21341671897496.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2021-12-09T19:50:35+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T11:23:34+00:00","description":"The statement comes amid soaring tensions over a Russian troop buildup near the border with Ukraine that stoked Ukrainian and Western fears of a possible invasion.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/09\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/09\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/09\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21341671897496.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21341671897496.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2021\/12\/09\/russia-military-chief-warns-ukraine-against-attacking-rebels\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Flashpoints","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/","ad_zone":"flashpoints"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Russia military chief warns Ukraine against attacking rebels"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","name":"Navy Times","description":"Independent News For Sailors | Navy Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#organization","name":"Navy Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/navy-logo-white.png","caption":"Navy Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/AP21341671897496.jpg.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Navy Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61635","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61635"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61635\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61647,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61635\/revisions\/61647"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46736"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61635"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61635"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61635"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=61635"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}