Kremlin: Kyiv at war with Ukrainians, not with Russia
Ampliar
Special police unit in action during a training session on the shooting range in eastern city of Mariupol, Ukraine. EFE/EPA/IRINA GORBASYOVA
Moscow, May 20 (EFE) .- The Kremlin said on Wednesday that the Ukrainian government is in war with its own citizens, not with Russia, in response to Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko’s earlier statement to BBC.
Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin does not agree with Poroshenko, given that “first of all, one has to understand that unfortunately, Kyiv is waging war against its own citizens.”
He added that Ukrainian citizens are the ones who get shot and the ones who die.
Poroshenko told BBC in an interview on Wednesday that his country is in the midst of a “real war” with Russia in eastern Ukraine.
According to BBC, Poroshenko stressed: “I can be absolutely clear with you, this is not a fight with Russian-backed separatists, and this is a real war with Russia. The fact that we captured Russian regular special forces soldiers (is) strong evidence of that.”
The president added: “Russia is preparing an offensive, so I think we should be ready and I think that we do not give them any tiny chance for provocation.”
Russia has repeatedly denied accusations launched by Kyiv and Western leaders that it regularly sends troops to eastern Ukraine to help pro-Russian rebels.
According to Poroshenko, the conflict has caused nearly 7,000 civilian deaths and 1,800 in the ranks of government forces since its outbreak in April 2013.
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Poroshenko: Ukraine at “real war” with Russia
London, May 20 (EFE).- Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that his country is in the midst of a “real war” with Russia and that Ukrainians should be ready for a Russian offensive, as stated to the BBC.
Poroshenko explicitly said that he doesn’t trust his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, but that he has no option but to negotiate with him.
Russia denies Western accusations that Moscow regularly sends troops to help the pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine, while the United Nations said that at least 6,000 people have been killed since fighting started there in April 2014.
Poroshenko, according to the BBC, stressed: “I can be absolutely clear with you, this is not a fight with Russian-backed separatists, and this is a real war with Russia. The fact that we captured Russian regular special forces soldiers (is) strong evidence of that.”
The president added that he believes that “Russia is preparing an offensive, so I think we should be ready and I think that we do not give them any tiny chance for provocation.”