Ukraine has demanded that Russia ensure the return of 245 Ukrainian servicemen who are on its territory.
Deputy Director of the Policy and Communication Department of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Vasyl Zvarych said this at a briefing in Kyiv on Wednesday, a Ukrinform correspondent reported.
“Another 245 Ukrainian servicemen, including 50 officers, are still near the Gukovo checkpoint in Rostov region,” Zvarych said.
He said that the military were guarded by Russian special units and that the investigative measures and interrogations were being conducted, with methods of moral and psychological pressure being used.
“None of the soldiers have expressed a desire to be granted asylum in the Russian Federation. All of them want to return home as quickly as possible,” the diplomat said.
He said that allegations by the Russian authorities and the media about other intentions of Ukrainian servicemen are “nothing but a propaganda gesture that has nothing to do with reality.”
Zvarych said that Ukraine had demanded that Russia ensure the return of its servicemen home. “The Ukrainian side is ready to ensure their meeting on the border and safe transportation. We urge the Russian leadership not to delay this and not to try to commit provocations,” the diplomat said.
ap
06.08.2014 18:21
