Russia warns Kyiv against use of force in rebel regions
By DASHA LITVINOVA
Associated Press
MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s military has warned the Ukrainian government against trying to settle a separatist conflict in eastern Ukraine with force. Gen. Valery Gerasimov, chief of the Russian General Staff, called media reports about Russia allegedly preparing an attack on Ukraine “a lie.” He said Thursday that Ukraine is to blame for escalating tensions in its war-torn eastern industrial heartland by deploying new weapons there. Gerasimov’s statement adds to the recent tensions sparked by a Russian troop buildup near the Ukrainian border. Officials in Ukraine and the West have said the amassing of troops may indicate plans by Moscow to invade its ex-Soviet neighbor, but Russian officials have repeatedly denied harboring such plans.
