FILE PHOTO: Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova listens during the annual news conference of the Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (not pictured) in Moscow, Russia January 16, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
December 1, 2021
MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia accused Ukraine on Wednesday of deploying half of its army or 125,000 troops to Donbass, a conflict zone in eastern Ukraine, where government forces have been battling Russia-backed separatists since 2014.
The accusation was levelled by Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova during a briefing in Moscow. There was no immediate response from Kyiv.
Russia has said it is worried about Ukrainian intentions as tensions between Kyiv and Moscow spike over Western fears about a new Russian attack on Ukraine, something Russia has dismissed as fear-mongering.
Zakharova also commented on an offer by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan for Ankara to serve as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine. She said that offer did not refer to the conflict in Donbass between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists.
(Reporting by Maria Kiselyova; Writing by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Editing by Andrew Osborn)
