Briefing, June 17th, 2014. 16:08
I will begin with some general comments regarding the situation in the eastern part of our country.
Despite Russia’s attempts to present the situation as an internal Ukrainian conflict, we clearly state that Russia continues military aggression against our country. Information regarding the activation of movement of Russian military equipment and the departments of Russian Armed Forces near the Ukrainian national border is worrisome. Groups of so-called volunteers are being formed on the territory of Rostov Oblast in the Russian Federation, which are preparing to invade Ukraine.
The vast majority of world countries and international organisations justly consider the Russian Federation responsible for escalating tension in eastern oblasts of Ukraine.
As of today, there is undeniable proof that it is from the territory of the Russian Federation that mercenaries, weapons and military equipment continue coming into Ukraine because of the inactivity and encouragement of the Russian government.
Unfortunately, the authorities of the Russian Federation continue to pretend they have nothing to do with the criminal actions of the terrorists. Moreover, Russian officials and mass media under their control are trying to justify the terrorist activities of the so-called “People’s Republic of Luhansk” (LNR) and “People’s Republic of Donetsk” (DNR) in various ways.
While the entire civilised world has condemned the terrorist act in Luhansk, which resulted in the death of 49 Ukrainian soldiers, the Russian government cynically ignored this inhumane behaviour of its supporters.
Russia has not made a single step in order to distance itself from the bandits and condemn the terrorist acts committed by them against Ukrainian civilians and soldiers. Instead, Russia has resorted to blocking the statement of the Chairman of the UN Security Council, which contained a proposal to condemn the terrorists.
Yesterday late at night the mercenaries of the terrorist organisation “LNR” shot from the Grad multiple rocket launcher system produced in Russia around the outskirts of the city of Luhansk, which, according to our information, was delivered to Ukraine from the territory of the Russian Federation. The Russian government also accused the Ukrainian side of using prohibited weapon types – so-called phosphorous bombs.
But all of this is an overt libel, inventions of the Russian misinformation campaign which is being developed in Moscow, which was confirmed by Russian journalists themselves. The goal of the Kremlin’s propaganda is to discredit the anti-terrorist operation and the actions of the Ukrainian government in trying to re-establish order in the east of our country.
Russia does not stop at anything to justify its criminal intent regarding Ukraine. It resorts to manipulating the lives of orphaned children, sick babies, people that are forced to leave their homes under threat on part of the terrorists.
Russia is presenting what it desires as reality, saying that tens of thousands of Ukrainians are seeking refuge on the territory of the Russian Federation.
The MFA and the National Border Service of Ukraine have numerous times denied unreliable information from the Russian side regarding so-called tens of thousands of refugees from Ukraine to Russia.
The real tendencies contradict Russian propaganda. The vast majority of Ukrainians that leave the ATO zone are people who are moving inside the country, trying to get as far as possible from Russia – to central and western regions of Ukraine.
Today the government of Ukraine is employing means to provide good conditions for the lives of families of Ukrainian citizens that are moving from eastern oblasts.
Meanwhile, the Russian and pro-Russian terrorists are intentionally at war against peaceful civilians. They are kidnapping children, preventing people from leaving, including sick people that they cynically use as live shields.
The reaction of the civilised world to such actions has to be confident and harsh. The terrorists and their curators in Moscow cannot be allowed to feel impunity and permissiveness. We hope that the international community will employ new means of effective pressure on Russia in order to force it to stop undermining activities against Ukraine, stop violence on part of the terrorists, which would accord with the spirit of the Geneva agreements.
Translated by Mariya Shcherbinina, edited by Alya Shandra
Source: http://mfa.gov.ua/ua/press-center/briefing/1231-brifing-v-mzs
