Ukraine Appeals for Calm, Says Russian Invasion Not Imminent

Workers unload a shipment of military aid delivered as part of the United States of America's security assistance to Ukraine, at the Boryspil airport, outside Kyiv, Ukraine, on Jan. 25, 2022. Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo

A top Ukrainian official has appealed for calm as he reassured the nation that an invasion from neighboring Russia was not imminent—despite officials acknowledging there is a real threat as NATO allies have ramped up defenses in the Baltic Sea region this week.

Oleksii Reznikov, Ukraine’s Minister of Defense, said on Monday that at this time, “there are no grounds to believe” that Moscow is preparing an invasion very soon and there is no need for citizens “to have [their] bags packed.”