MOSCOW – The Kremlin said Friday it fears a resumption of full-scale fighting in eastern Ukraine and could take measures to protect Russian civilians there, a clear warning that comes amid a Russian troop build-up along the border.
The statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, reflected the Kremlin’s determination to prevent Ukraine from using force to retake control of separatist-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine.
Ukraine’s military chief rejected Russian claims that the country’s armed forces are preparing for an attack on the rebel east.
Ukrainian armed forces and Russian-backed separatists have been fighting in Eastern Ukraine since shortly after Moscow’s annexation of the Ukrainian Crimean Peninsula in 2014. More than 14,000 people have died in the conflict and efforts to reach a political settlement have come to a halt. come.
Ukraine and the West have accused Russia of sending troops and weapons to aid separatists, allegations Moscow has denied. The White House says Russia now has more troops on the border with Ukraine than ever since 2014.
Russia also claimed it had to protect Russian speakers in Crimea when it sent troops to the Black Sea peninsula and then annexed it in March 2014 following a hastily called public vote.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday after visiting troops in the east that 26 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed so far this year. Increasingly frequent violations of a July truce mean that “we are once again faced with the need to institute a ceasefire,” Zelenskyy said.
Separatist authorities in Donetsk said 20 troops and 2 civilians have been killed this year.
Western and Ukrainian officials have expressed concern in recent weeks about the increasing ceasefire violations in the industrial heartland of the country. They also expressed concern about the build-up of Russian troops along the border with Ukraine.
Concerns seemed to intensify on Friday when US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke to his French and German counterparts about the matter. The Foreign Ministry said Blinken, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian discussed the need for Russia to cease its military build-up and heated rhetoric.
Speaking with Putin on Thursday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel “called for the removal of these troop reinforcements in order to bring about a de-escalation of the situation.”
Peskov said Russia is free to deploy its forces wherever it pleases on its territory. He accused the Ukrainian military of an “escalation of provocative actions” along the control line to the east that threatens Russian security.
The Kremlin fears that civil war could resume in Ukraine. And if a civil war, a large-scale military action, resumes near our borders, it would threaten the security of the Russian Federation, ”said Peskov. “The continuing escalation of tensions is quite unprecedented.”
In Kiev, Col.-Gen. Ruslan Khomchak, the Supreme Commander of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, rejected Moscow’s claims about alleged Ukrainian preparations for an offensive in the East as part of a “disinformation campaign” and a “hybrid war”.
The Russian army, meanwhile, said its scouts have trained for missions behind enemy lines during the latest exercises in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine. And in the Black Sea, the Russian Navy’s missile boats have practiced attacking enemy ships.
Dmitry Kozak, an assistant to Putin who serves as Russia’s top negotiator with Kiev, warned Ukraine on Thursday against using force to regain control of the East, where many residents have Russian citizenship. Such a move would “mark the beginning of an end for Ukraine,” he said, adding that Russia would likely act to protect its citizens.
When asked about Kozak’s comment, Peskov claimed that virulent nationalist rhetoric in Ukraine stirred hatred against the predominantly Russian-speaking population of the East. He claimed that when citizens in Eastern Ukraine face the threat of massacre, “all countries, including Russia, will take steps to prevent such tragedies.”
A Turkish Foreign Ministry official said Friday that the United States has informed Turkey that two US warships will sail to the Black Sea on April 14 and April 15 and will remain there until May 4 and May 5. The official spoke on condition of anonymity in accordance with the government. regulations.
Such visits from the US and other NATO ships have plagued Moscow, which has long grappled over Ukraine’s efforts to build defense ties with the West and its aspirations to eventually join NATO.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova warned Friday that Ukraine’s NATO bid “would not only lead to a massive escalation of the situation in the Southeast, but could also have irreversible consequences for the Ukrainian state. “
This story corrects that in 2014 Russia said it should protect Russian speakers in Crimea, not Russian citizens.
Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, and Matthew Lee in Washington contributed to this report.