kiev to belarus border distance metro nashville police call log. On second try, SpaceX launches multinational crew on mission to International Space Station, Uncertainty remains at Naples mobile home park after rent rise, damage wrought by Hurricane Ian, Bill before Florida Legislature would ban nonpartisan municipal races, Florida Republicans are taking on the media. Gen. Eral Alexey Gromov, Deputy Chief of the Chief Operational Department of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on Thursday. distance between kiev and belarus border. We are working on this together with Oleksiy Kuleba, the governor of the Kyiv Oblast. He did outline several reasons behind the troop increase along the border with Belarus. US officials confirmed Dudleys release from detention, which the US government had not deemed as wrongful. The Belarusian-Ukrainian border is the state border between Belarus and Ukraine with a length of about 1,084 km (674 mi). how far is belarus border from kyiv. Belarus's president, Alexander Lukashenko - an autocrat who holds on to power thanks to Moscow's support - recently declared that his country "won't stand aside if war breaks out". A court in the Russian city of Ufa found Kandarov guilty of evading military service. Suella Braverman, the home secretary, said a minority of more than 6,000 individuals who used the tier 1 (investor) visa route were potentially at high risk of having obtained wealth through corruption, illegality or organised crime and that many were still under investigation by the police. Heavy fighting has continued around Soledar, Donetsk oblast, and on the approaches to Kremina, Luhansk oblast, according to the latest intelligence update from the UK Ministry of Defence. KAKISSIS: You're all preparing to do that. Key judicial governing bodies can thus restart work. Our last stop is a large room filled with several TV screens. To see the border up close, we go deeper into the woods to a small military outpost. russian revolution fashion; gulf world rough-toothed dolphin; houses for rent in red hills 89128; utah county senior services; why are leica cameras so expensive Looking forward to the reformed HCJ showcasing rule of law and integrity in practice. Russian troops have already arrayed in the west and northwest regions of Belarus on the border with Poland and Lithuania. Konstantin Vorontsov, deputy head of the Russian delegation to the UN, said on Thursday that U.S. commercial satellites used in Ukraine "for military purposes" could be a "legitimate target" for Russian strikes according to Israel's I24 News organization. Ukraine is bordered by Belarus to the north, Russia to the east, the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea to the south, Moldova and Romania to the southwest, and Hungary, Slovakia, and Poland to the west. Polesian lowland The Belarusian-Ukrainian border is the state border between Belarus and Ukraine with a length of about 1,084 km (674 mi). KAKISSIS: One of the soldiers, Vadym, who used to be a banker, decided to write a message in English on one of the shells. Measures are purposefully carried out by Russia, Gromov said, pointing to the territory of the Chornobyl zone, as well as from the Chernihiv region. Transport is disrupted due to the Russia-Ukraine war. Lukashenko called the deployment a response to NATO provocations on the border, the formation of sabotage units staffed by Belarusian migrs, and Ukrainian plans to attack Belarus. As Russian Troops Mass in Belarus, a Ukraine Border Is Largely Undefended From the border, it's a fast 140 miles down a newly paved highway to Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, but only a few. Today, Ukraine introduced its newest drone, called "SHARK," designed largely as a reconnaissance spotting device for Ukrainian artillery units. The soldiers here are learning to use heavy weapons. Surovikin, commander of the aerospace forces, earned the nickname General Armageddon after ordering the destruction of Aleppo from the air in 2016 to break rebel resistance, which led to the fall of the Syrian city later that year. The Footage Is Incredible. The transfer would require permission from Germany. Ukrainian forces likely made marginal gains northwest of Svatove, Luhansk Oblast, and Russian sources claimed that Ukrainian forces intensified offensive operations toward Kreminna. While Putin may be walking back nuclear threats, a Russian official today repeated Moscow's warnings that it might strike at communications satellites over Ukraine. The commander of Russias ground forces, Oleg Salyukov, visited Belarus on Thursday to inspect the combat readiness of a joint force stationed there, the Belarusian defence ministry said. Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of Donetsk, told Ukrainian state TV that 559 civilians remained in Soledar, including 15 children, and could not be evacuated. A map posted on the Russian Rybar Telegram channel, and shared by author Chris Owen, show just how widespread those attacks may have been. You can read much more about that system here. Surgeons removed the weapon from just beneath the heart of the injured serviceman, while two sappers ensured the operation was conducted safely, said Hanna Maliar, Ukraines deputy minister of defence, who uploaded an image apparently showing an X-ray of the ordnance inside the soldiers body. Hundreds of civilians remain trapped in Soledar, Ukraine has said, as bloody fighting continues over control of the largely destroyed salt mining town in eastern Ukraine. Russian forces continued offensive operations around Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and in western Donetsk Oblast. Still, though an attack from the north seems unlikely, Ukraine is unwilling to chance having any such incursion get as far as it did in February. The post Ukraine Situation Report: Kyiv Reinforcing Belarus Border, Capital appeared first on The Drive. 28 Feb 2022. Turkey has summoned Swedens ambassador over a protest in Stockholm in which a puppet of Recep Tayyip Erdoan was hung from its feet. Ukrainian Northern Group soldiers "are preparing for active defense in the event of a repeated attack by the Kremlin invaders from the territory of the Republic of Belarus and the Russian Federation, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense (MOD) said Wednesday. By Vladislav Davidzon . Joanna Kakissis is a foreign correspondent based in Kyiv, Ukraine, where she reports poignant stories of a conflict that has upended millions of lives, affected global energy and food supplies and pitted NATO against Russia. Kyiv was initially reluctant to send a delegation to Belarus, given the country's role as facilitator in Russia's attack on Ukraine. Earlier Sunday, Kyiv was eerily quiet after explosions lit up the morning sky and authorities reported blasts at one airport. Satellite images taken by Maxar Technologies show the destruction inflicted upon Soledar, whose fate remains uncertain. Like the other soldiers interviewed in this report, he declined to give his last name for security reasons. The appointments to the HCJ, an important judicial oversight body, are seen as key to Kyivs push to reform its judiciary. An armoured vehicle can be seen driving to a building where several personnel carry out a rescue and quickly drive away. There are 2 ways to get from Kyiv to Belarus by train, bus or car Select an option below to see step-by-step directions and to compare ticket prices and travel times in Rome2rio's travel planner. Somewhere in the east, two Russian BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles and a T-72B tank were hit by a Ukrainian strike, with a video showing Russian troops running from the vehicles. Facing global criticism over his war in Ukraine, Putin said he will not attend the Group of 20 summit next week in Bali, according to Bloomberg, citing "people familiar with the planning as the Kremlin seeks to protect the president from potential high-level tensions over his invasion of Ukraine.". The migrant crisis that has been manufactured on the EU's eastern border by Belarus dictator Alyaksandr Lukashenka and his patron, Russian leader Vladimir Putin, is a dangerous provocation with significant security ramifications for the wider region. Marsel Kandarov, 24, did not report for duty in May 2022 as he did not want to take part in a special military operation, the court press service in the republic of Bashkortostan in the southern Urals was cited as saying. Facebook Twitter Belarus ANTON: (Through interpreter) This isn't a frontline, not yet at least. Hundreds of civilians remain trapped in Soledar, Ukraine has said, as bloody fighting continues over control of the largely destroyed salt mining town in eastern Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has called for his forces to be ready both at the border and in the regions near Belarus amid fear Russia may launch a fresh assault from the north. With tens of billions of dollars of weaponry flowing into Ukraine from the U.S. and its allies, there are growing concerns about those weapons falling into the wrong hands as they have in so many previous conflicts around the world. A US navy veteran has been released after almost a year in Russian detention, according to his family. NPR's Kyiv correspondent Joanna Kakissis reports from the northwestern region of Volyn. Salyukov was yesterday named as one of the deputy commanders of Russias military operation in Ukraine in the latest of a series of reshuffles, which included the appointment of Valery Gerasimov, chief of the general staff, as its overall commander for the war in Ukraine. In the wake of repeated Ukrainian attacks, including a massive boat and aerial drone attack on Sevastopol, an Israeli military analyst said that 70% of Russia's Black Fleet is incapacitated. The Guardian has a series of striking images from inside the eastern Ukrainian city. KAKISSIS: Anton leads us downstairs into the bunker. But as the exercises wound down, many of the 30,000 Russian troops stationed in Belarus then poured over the border of Ukraine as part of President Vladimir Putin's invasion, now in its eighth month. He accused the United States and its allies of "using civil infrastructure in space for military purposes. The situation in and around Soledar appeared fluid and neither claim could be independently verified. Those troops began arriving after Oct. 10, when Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced that he and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to deploy a regional group of forces of troops from both nations in Belarus. Ukraine shares a. We need more. Ukrainian forces claim marginal gains in the Luhansk Oblast while Russians continue to press their attacks in the Donetsk Oblast. "The Russians probably want to distract Ukrainians and pull some of their forces away from Kherson and the Donbas," Cancian told RFE/RL. Footage shared by pro-government Turkish media showed what they said were supporters of the Kurdish militant group PKK hanging an effigy of the Turkish leader at a demonstration outside the Stockholm city hall. That's it for now. Patrushev and Ali Shamkhani, Iran's top security official, "discussed the situation in Ukraine and measures to combat what they called 'Western interference' in their internal affairs,"Russian state mediareported. Sean Penn has revealed he has walked miles to the Polish border as he films a VICE documentary on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.. Russias human rights commissioner, Tatyana Moskalkova, held a rare meeting in Ankara on Wednesday with her Ukrainian counterpart, Dmytro Lubinets. Attacking energy supplies has long been a staple of war and Ukraine is hitting back, attacking Russian fuel supplies, like this attack on an oil depot in the occupied town of Shakktarsk in eastern Donetsk. The reprimand comes after Manturov said he would provide 175bn roubles (2.11bn) to state airline Aeroflot to lease aircraft. Threats are [there], threats will be [there], we respond to everything accordingly.. In Donetsk, Russian troops gathering near Bakhmut had their meeting apparently interrupted by a strike from a Ukrainian drone, sending the troops scattering, with at least one seeming to have suffered an injury, if not worse. Russia is also hitting back, as this video shows what appears to be a Russian artillery strike on Ukrainian army vehicles. A Ukrainian soldier has had successful surgery to remove an unexploded grenade from his chest, senior officials in Kyiv have said. And Russia continues to use Belarus to mount drone attacks on Ukraine. Distance from Belarus to Kiev is 403 kilometers. A Ukrainian service member at the line of separation . How far is it between Kiev and Moscow. Main menu. During a press briefing to talk about the NDS, Austin said he saw no indication that either Russia or Ukraine are planning on using a dirty bomb, and said he did not believe that Russia's annual Grom nuclear weapons exercise was serving as a "cover activity" for a nuclear attack on Ukraine. Ukraine Situation Report: Kyiv Moves More Troops To Belarus Border. During a visit to Lviv on Wednesday, President Zelenskiy called for his forces to be ready both at the border and in the regions near Belarus amid fears Russia may launch a fresh assault from the north. Putin signed a decree awarding Stremousov with the Order of Courage posthumously, RIA Novosti reported on its Telegram channel. Including a . The air travel (bird fly) shortest distance between Belarus and Ukraine is 634 km= 394 miles. Ukraines military, he said, is increasing the fortification equipment of the defense lines, taking into account the ways of the enemy's advance at the beginning of the invasion.. Along Ukraine-Belarus border, a war of nerves and drones On the Belarusian border, Ukrainian units are using drones to monitor a long expanse of marsh and woodland for a possible surprise . Kiev is located in Ukraine with (50.4547,30.5238) coordinates and Minsk is located in Belarus with (53.9,27.5667) coordinates. On Thursday in a post on Telegram, Wagner did not mention the name of the deceased man but claimed documents belonging to both Britons had been found with the body of one of the men. The time difference between Ukraine (Europe/Kiev) and Minsk (Europe . Russia probably will also use these weapons to develop countermeasures, propaganda, or to conduct false-flag operations. $1,000 in 1990 worth today . VADYM: Now we here, but we waiting. STANISLAV: All these videos are from borders, and we have a live stream from the cameras from there. Judicial reform within the HCJ and the High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ) was identified as one of Ukraines key priorities when the country received official EU candidate status in June. KAKISSIS: Anton leads us downstairs into the bunker. Watch a Belarus opposition group land a drone on top of the pancake-shaped radar of . A Russian-installed official in Ukraines Donetsk region, Andrei Bayevsky, said pockets of resistance from Ukrainian troops remain in Soledar. The British government is planning to provide tanks to Ukraine to help the country defend itself, according to a spokesperson for No 10. In brandishing Russias nuclear arsenal in an attempt to intimidate Ukraine and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Russias leaders have made clear that they view these weapons as a shield behind which to wage unjustified aggression against their neighbors.". He noted that almost 1,500 km of border between Ukraine and Belarus is a significant distance. ", Wars, however, "can provide opportunities for weapons to fall into private hands via theft or illicit sales, sometimes creating black markets for arms that endure for decades. And the travails of Russia's mobilized reservists seemingly continue, with this video apparently showing one such troop being harshly disciplined. JOANNA KAKISSIS, BYLINE: I'm in the middle of a pine forest in northwestern Ukraine, and I'm walking around a construction site. Like the other soldiers interviewed in this report, he declined to give his last name for security reasons. Assuming you do not need a visa. And despite repeated threats to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine and claiming without evidence that the country is working to create a dirty bomb, Putin said a Russian nuclear strike "would make no political, military sense," state news agency RIA Novosti reported on its Telegram channel. We need more. . The tier 1 visa route, whereby wealthy individuals could buy the right to live in the UK by investing in British-registered companies, was shut in February after Russias invasion of Ukraine amid fears that the system was being abused. A gray-haired soldier using the call sign STURMAN says he noticed something troubling on his patrol about a week ago. Each of the men holds one of the three nuclear briefcases that can order a Russian nuclear strike. outgoing Defense Minister Benny Gantz said Tuesday, Zakharova said during a press conference Wednesday. The meeting took place following Russia's use Iranian Shahed-136 drones to target Ukraine's energy infrastructure in a series of attacks over recent weeks. But as badly as Ukraine has been attacked, it is also rebuilding, even as missiles and drones continue to strike. April 5, 2022 . AILSA CHANG, HOST: We're going to take you now to the north of Ukraine and its border with Belarus. Nearly a third of Moscow officials in the mayor's office have reportedly fled, part of a mass exodus of those wanting nothing to do with being mobilized. STANISLAV: All these videos are from borders, and we have a live stream from the cameras from there. On 2 March 2023, the Russian authorities reported an attack on the villages of Lyubechane and Sushany, bordering Ukraine, in the Bryansk Oblast.Not long after, the Russian Volunteer Corps, an armed group made up of far-right anti-government Russian nationalists fighting for Ukraine, took responsibility for the attack.Russia is investigating the event as a terrorist attack. .css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}Our guys continue to push the enemy in these places. Belarus. by | May 10, 2022 | harley quinn wallpaper aesthetic | why can't i close my afterpay account | May 10, 2022 | harley quinn wallpaper aesthetic | why can't i close my afterpay account Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of Donetsk, told Ukrainian state TV that 559 civilians remained in Soledar, including 15 children, and could not be evacuated. They raise their mugs of coffee to those who have left for the eastern front line, those who may not return. The ministry did not publish a list of names of those subject to the sanctions. [The Russians] are moving over their own corpses, Ukraines deputy defence minister, Hanna Maliar, said. During the initial phase of Russias all-out invasion of Ukraine, Russian troops came down from the north through Belarus. Unable to succeed in the south and east, Russia may be looking for a new front, he added. KAKISSIS: This is a howitzer, something between a mortar and a cannon. A tank of the Ukraine Army's Northern Group on patrol near the border with Belarus. Russia appears to be advancing in its invasion of Ukraine with satellite . Pavliuk said that improvements he previously ordered - including checking the readiness of weaponry, shelters, communications routes, and the construction of barriers in forward positions - have been carried out. More than 121,000 people had entered since the start of have passed through here (. A spokesperson for Ukraines air force command has warned of the possibility of missile attacks from Belarus. Oryx, which says such drones had been previously tested but not operationally deployed, can be armed with two Aviaavtomatika PGMs, or two 9M113 or 9K121 Vikhr anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM). Zakharova's comments came a day after Zelensky laid out his conditions for peace, which included a restoration of Ukraine's 1991 borders, free from Russian occupation. During the televised meeting, Manturov explained that his ministry was set to build helicopter engines in St Petersburg previously manufactured in Ukraine but Putin interjected, telling Manturov there were too many delays. GPS Coordinates (DMS) 53 42 35.3160'' N 27 57 12.2040'' E : Latitude: 53.70981: We will update this story if there is anything major to add until our next new update is published. Germany should not stand in the way of other countries military support for Ukraine, vice-chancellor Robert Habeck has said. Your accurate, proper and direct information given to the people that ask questions is amazing. Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com. The direct drive from Kiev, Ukraine to Warsaw, Poland is 485 miles or 781 km, and should have a drive time of 11 hours in normal traffic. This camp is walking distance to Belarus, and the troops stationed here watch the border for any suspicious activity. Ukraine's fertile land was known as the breadbasket of the Soviet Union; now, it has become the breadbasket of Europe. Chief of the Russian general staff Gen Valery Gerasimov (left) and defence minister Sergei Shoigu are believed to be at odds with the Wagner groups Yevgeny Prigozhin. It is obvious that such inconsistency demonstrates that the Kremlin is dissatisfied with the conduct of the war but the decision to put Gen Valery Gerasimov, the head of the armed forces, in charge of the invasion is eye-catching for other reasons too. All Rights Reserved. Report inappropriate content 23h ago . In addition, Belarusians voted Monday to allow the country. A Resistance Group Landed a Drone on Top of a Russian Jet. Portraying a popularly elected president as being executed outside City Hall is abhorrent. . Ukraine has stepped up efforts to implement seven European Commission-defined reforms in order to open accession talks as soon as possible. Previous estimates have placed about 10,000 Russian troops in Belarus. Technology, performance and design delivered to your inbox. According to the police, the men, aged 28 and 48, left Kramatorsk for Soledar at eight oclock in the morning on 6 January, and contact with them was lost. Bayevskys comments today undermine claims made yesterday by Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner private military group, that the city had been taken by Russian forces. kiev to belarus border distanceAppearance > Menus (619) Patriot (728-7468) broadway ticket refund policy; OPR No: 12689 | Trapper ID No: 64965. spark dataframe left join; cbc news nl here and now. Ukraines public broadcaster Suspilne is reporting Donetsk police could not confirm claims by the ultranationalist mercenary group, Wagner, that they had found one of two missing Britons dead. Huge Russian convoy approaches Kyiv, sparking fears Russia is preparing a full-scale assault on the city. Read my colleague Dan Sabbaghs full analysis here: A US navy veteran has been released after almost a year in Russian detention, according to his family. The air travel (bird fly) shortest distance between Belarus and Kiev is 403 km= 250 miles. KAKISSIS: In the first days of the war, Russian troops entered Ukraine from Belarus before retreating. On the battlefield, a Russian attempt at an advance was interrupted when the lead vehicle, a UR-77 "Meteorit" mine clearer, was apparently hit by Ukrainian artillery. Lukashenko called the deployment a response to NATO provocations on the border, the formation of sabotage units staffed by Belarusian migrs, and Ukrainian plans to attack Belarus. Reports that one of the two British men missing in Ukraine has been found dead have yet to be verified, Downing Street has said. Western | Central | Southern | Eastern, Most recent or choose the topic: Addresses, Adoption, Airports, Apartments, Archives, Buses, Citizenship, Costs, Distances, Driving, Economy, Education, Entertainment, Flights, General, History, Hotels, Immigration, Maps, Marriage, Misc, Money, Passport, People, Places, Post, Refugees, Relatives, Safety, Study, Taxi, Trains, Travel, Visa, Wage, Work. The Guardian has a series of striking images from inside the eastern Ukrainian town. STURMAN: (Through interpreter) I saw a man in military clothes digging trenches and fortifications on the Belarus side of the border. You may also like. Vorontsov appeared to be referring to the Starlink terminalssupplied to Ukraine by Elon Musks SpaceXsince the first days of the Russian invasion. Marsel Kandarov, 24, did not report for duty in May 2022 as he did not want to take part in a special military operation, the Moscow Times cites the court press service in the republic of Bashkortostan in the southern Urals. The prime minister told President Zelenskiy last week the UK will provide whatever we can.. Ukraine's Border Guard Service announced an hour later that it appeared the Russian military was attacking from Belarus as well as the Russian border and the Black Sea in the south. The reports have yet to be verified, Downing Street has said. ", According to the plan, the U.S., whenever practicable will cooperate closely with Allies and key partners to mitigate the risk of potential weapons diversion due to Russias destabilizing actions.". Ukraines military has denied that Russian forces have encircled and captured the eastern city of Soledar. .css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}As we celebrate Taylors safe return, we remain very concerned for Paul Whelan and committed to continue to work on his safe return, as we have been for the last four years, as well as other Americans. The distance from Kyiv to the border with Belarus in a straight line is about 100 km. Ukraine fears Russia could build up forces on the territory of Belarus, Moscow's close ally, before striking in the north-west or even attempt to drive towards Kyiv. The head of Russias Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, claimed on Wednesday that Soledar had been captured. Gerasimov, as head of the military, was always Surovikins senior and so in a sense it is not obvious much has changed although it now means Gerasimov is more closely tied to the war effort. ANTON: (Through interpreter) This isn't a frontline, not yet at least. She said she and Lubinets had exchanged lists of wounded soldiers in preparation for a possible future swap, adding: .css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}Such exchanges happen all the time. Many had blamed the scheme for allowing Kremlin-backed oligarchs to enter UK public life. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR. But their long line of vehicles famously got bogged down thanks to poor planning, poor training, and poor logistics and was picked off by Ukrainian attacks. Taylor Dudley, 35, of Michigan, was taken into custody by Russian border police last April after crossing the border from Poland into Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave between Poland and Lithuania. But we will continue to monitor this border as long as Russian troops are in Belarus. The soldiers here are learning to use heavy weapons. Ukraine fears Russia could build up forces on the territory of Belarus, Moscows close ally, before striking in the north-west or even attempt to drive towards Kyiv. With an area of 600,000 km, it is the second-largest country in Europe after . A good deal of Belarus' military equipment, meanwhile, has been shipped to Russia to make up for losses in Ukraine. Things are so bad that the commander of the Russian Army Group Central reportedly used a pistol to threaten the commander of a mobilized unit from retreating. But Ukraine sees those comments as a negotiating ploy to buy time as it presses forward with advances on several fronts. His comments come on the heels of a similar sentiment expressed by Ukrainian Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, head of the countrys Defense Intelligence directorate, as we previously reported here. This border has been quiet for months, but Ukraine's military is hard at work there, preparing for what it believes could be a years-long defense. If you want to go by car, the driving distance between Kiev and Minsk is 528.69 km.If you ride your car with an average speed of 112 . No new prisoner exchange agreements were reached during yesterdays talks between Russia and Ukraine in Turkey, according to Moscows envoy. An apartment building in Kyiv that was famously hit by a Russian missile on the third day of the war is now being renovated by residents. .css-cumn2r{height:1em;width:1.5em;margin-right:3px;vertical-align:baseline;fill:#C70000;}I think those are speculative reports at the moment. In keeping with the Ukrainian militarys position of maintaining strict operational security, Gromov did not offer any details on how many troops, exactly where they are, or how they are equipped. Russian forces conducted ground attacks in Donetsk Oblast. We have already grown our grouping in the north direction, said Brig. He was released on Thursday after months of negotiations, CNN reported, and his detention was not widely publicised before today because his family wanted the negotiations for his release to remain private. Articles may contain affiliate links which enable us to share in the revenue of any purchases made. Loose mines on the Black Sea are a notorious issue since shortly after Russia's invasion began. Interestingly, some of the Russian military bloggers most closely followed by western experts were notably cynical about the change. Expert's answer: The straight-line distance from the center of Moscow to the Russian-Ukrainian border is about 450 km. UNIDENTIFIED PERSON: (Shouting in non-English language). STURMAN: (Through interpreter) I saw a man in military clothes digging trenches and fortifications on the Belarus side of the border. Russia has appointed Valery Gerasimov, the chief of the general staff, as its overall commander for the war in Ukraine.