PUTIN CALLS ON UKRAINE MILITIA TO LET BLOCKED KIEV TROOPS TO CROSS INTO RUSSIA
The Unhived
Putin calls on Ukraine militia to let blocked Kiev troops to cross into Russia
Published time: August 28, 2014 21:21
http://rt.com/news/183520-ukraine-russia-putin-militia/
President Putin has called on the self-defense militias in Ukraine to provide Kiev’s military units blocked in the east of the country with a safe humanitarian corridor to cross into Russia.
“It is obvious that the militia has reached a considerable success in curbing Kiev’s military operation, that had been a deadly threat to the population of Donbass and already led to heavy casualties among civilians,” the Russian leader said in a statement.
As a result of militias’ counter-offense, large numbers of Ukrainian troops – many of whom were taking part in Kiev’s so-called anti-terrorist operation “against their will” and “just following orders” – have been surrounded, the President added.
“I urge the militias to open a humanitarian corridor for Ukrainian troops that were surrounded, in order to avoid meaningless victims and provide them with the opportunity to freely withdraw from the battlefield area, to be reunited with their families, to return to their mothers, wives and children,” Putin said.
Russia is ready and will provide aid to Ukraine’s regions suffering from a humanitarian disaster, the Russian leader added according to the Kremlin’s press service.
“Once again, I urge the Ukrainian authorities to immediately stop the fighting, stop the fire, sit down at the negotiating table with representatives of the Donbass [Region, Eastern Ukraine], to solve all the accumulated problems peacefully,” he said.