The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has denied the head of the Russian Defense Ministry’s claim at a meeting of the ministry’s board on December 21 that there are more than 120 employees of American private military companies in Avdiivka and Pryazovsk (Donetsk region).
The press service of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense issued the denial in a statement, the Ukrainian News Agency reports.
“There are no private military companies, including foreign ones, in Ukraine except those that the Russian Federation is using in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine. The other statement alleging ‘delivery of reserves of an unidentified chemical component for provocations in the cities of Avdiivka and Lyman’ is also false," the press service said in the statement.
According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, the only threat to the peace and security of Ukrainian citizens and territories comes from the Russian occupation forces that are violating the ceasefire, killing Ukrainian citizens, and blocking the work of the international mission.
"The war against Ukraine includes not only armed aggression, but also a hybrid component in the form of information operations. The Russian Federation has previously resorted to such disinformation. It is worth recalling the fake news about the so-called blue barrels with a poisonous substance in Krasnohorivka, which was circulated in 2018," the statement said.
Since the latest disinformation came from the highest military-political level, it should be seriously considered as a preparation for a specific provocation, the scenario for which has already been developed in the Kremlin, the statement said.
As Ukrainian News Agency reported earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine is ready for negotiations in any format with the participation of Russia.
Who we are: About us, Contacts. How we write news and our principles: Editorial code. We did our best. If you found this valuable – please support us.
To request a correction, please send an email.