Militias accuse Kiev of using foreign mercenaries in eastern Ukraine

MOSCOW, April 24. /TASS/. The fact that Kiev attracts foreign mercenaries to take part in the military operation in the Donbas region testifies to the inability of the Ukrainian authorities to wage war on their own, spokesman for the Defense Ministry of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Eduard Basurin said on Friday.

"A large number of mercenaries on the territory of Ukraine attests to the invalidity of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the Ukrainian people’s unwillingness to take part in the fratricidal war," the Donetsk news agency quotes him as saying.

"On Thursday, the media reported that a draft law on legalizing foreign nationals taking part in the military operation had been submitted to the Verhovna Rada. I’d like to note that there are quite a few foreigners fighting on the Ukrainian side," Basurin said.

On Tuesday, Basurin announced the transfer by Kiev of 70 mercenaries of a US private company Academi to the Volnovakha settlement area. "According to the available reports, the presence of 70 representatives of the Academi US private company has been registered on the territory controlled by the Ukrainian army, specifically, in Volnovakha. This armed group was earlier called Blackwater," the DPR defense spokesman said.

He recalled the company was known for "fulfilling direct orders from the US Department of State in trouble spots." "In 2007, the company’s combatants gained notoriety for shooting dead 17 peaceful civilians in Iraq, among them women and children. This incident evoked broad response across the world, after which the company changed its name. Currently, this criminal organization is waging a war against peaceful Donbas on the Ukrainian authorities’ side," Basurin added.

The Defense Ministry believes that the presence of the Academi private military company in Ukraine, in close proximity to the contact line, testifies to the violation of point 10 of the Minsk Protocol. In this context, the DPR authorities urge international organizations to join the investigation of this incident.