Putin Tests Combat Readiness as Separatists Press Ahead
This article is for subscribers only.
President Vladimir Putin said Russia is testing its army’s combat readiness, ramping up tensions after pledging a pullback from Ukraine’s border. Pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine vowed to press ahead with autonomy votes.
NATO said there’s no sign of any Russian withdrawal from the frontier. The Russian leader’s latest statement came less than 24 hours after a shift of tone on Ukraine, in which he urged the separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to postpone balloting scheduled for May 11.