Russian Defence Ministry stops denying involvement of Russian servicemen in war in Donbas region

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine says the rhetoric of the Russian Ministry of Defence has changed.

In particular, Russian deputy defence minister Nikolai Pankov doesn not deny the involvement of Russian servicemen in the conflict in eastern Ukraine.

The statement was made by the Ukrainian MFA's spokesman Yevhen Perebiynis at a briefing on Tuesday, Interfax-Ukraine reports.

“We have turned attention to the reply of Russian deputy defence minister Nikolai Pankov. A copy of his answer to a request from Duma member Dmitry Gudkov appeared on the Internet,” the the Ukrainian MFA's spokesman says, adding that the Russian MP asked the Russian deputy defence minister if Russian servicemen were really involved in operations in eastern Ukraine.

According to Perebiynis, the Russian official did not deny directly that Russian servicemen took part in combat action in the Donbas region, but assured that the Russian Federation was not a party to the conflict.

“The signal that is worth attention is that he doesn't deny directly that Russian servicemen are involved in combat action in the Donbas region, but repeats the mantra that the Russian Federation is not a party to the conflict,” Perebeynis said.

“It's hard to say what Russian officials mean. But that fact that Russia does not consider itself to be a party to the conflict does not stop it from sending thousands of servicemen of the Armed Forces to fight in Ukraine's east,” the representative of the Ukrainian MFA said.