OREANDA-NEWS. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said during his speech in the Verkhovna Rada that an escalation of the conflict in Donbas is unlikely, RIA Novosti reports.

“Now different data can be voiced, different dates of some events and different scenarios. But the Ukrainian army has calculated all these scenarios and is ready for them. We in no way underestimate the threat, but we assess the likelihood of a large-scale escalation as low in relation to the invasion of Ukraine as a whole, ”said the head of the defense ministry.

He noted that Russian troops continue to be near the border of Ukraine - 149 thousand military, including the naval and aviation components. Currently, the "movement of forces and means" of the RF Armed Forces is being carried out.

On February 19, scheduled exercises of the strategic deterrence forces will be held under the leadership of Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Northern and Black Sea Fleets, the Aerospace Forces, the Southern Military District, and the Strategic Missile Forces will take part in them.

Since the autumn of last year, the Western media, as well as in Ukraine, have been claiming that Russia is allegedly preparing a “large-scale invasion” of Ukraine. In Moscow, such allegations have been repeatedly rejected.