Spokesperson for Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova has accused the Ukrainian authorities of offensive actions allegedly carried out by Ukraine’s Armed Forces in Donetsk and Luhansk regions.
“The hotheads of the Kyiv regime, probably feeling complete impunity, are in favor of resolving the internal Ukrainian crisis through force. The situation in the conflict zone is escalating. Information is being received on the use of weapons proscribed by the Minsk package of measures, supplied to Ukraine by NATO Allies,” Kasparov.ru quoted Zakharova as saying.
The Russian foreign ministry spokesperson claimed that the Ukrainian Armed Forces had allegedly gone on the offensive in the area of Hranitne and Staromariyvka. In addition, Zakharova accused the United States and NATO of “pumping” Ukraine with weapons for the Donbas war.
Against the background of the Russian military buildup near the border with Ukraine, such statements by Russian officials are issued in search of a formal pretext to launch full-scale armed aggression against the neighboring country.
It should be recalled that, since late October of this year, mass media, foreign intelligence agencies and Ukraine’s security officials have been warning of the amassing of Russian troops along the Russo-Ukrainian border. At the same time, at least half of the groupings deployed have shaped up in an offensive formation. In addition, the Kremlin has called for service tens of thousands of reservists on a scale unprecedented for the post-Soviet period.
