Russian mercenaries are spreading in eastern Ukraine

Maria Tsvetkova and Anton Zverev

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian mercenaries have been deployed in separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine in recent weeks to bolster defenses against Ukrainian government forces as tensions between Moscow and the West have risen, four sources told Reuters.

In recent weeks, Russia has relocated tens of thousands of troops to positions closer to Ukraine and then called on the West to provide urgent security guarantees designed to prevent Moscow, Ukraine and other neighboring countries from being used as a base. .

The West and Ukraine, meanwhile, have accused Russia of plotting a new attack on a southern neighbor next month, something Moscow denies.

Russia seized the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, in the same year it took possession of part of the industrial region of eastern Ukraine’s Donbass region and supported Russian separatists who continue to fight against Ukrainian government forces.

Three of the four sources described offers to hire mercenaries to go to Donbass. They said the contractors did not indicate who they were representing. The four sources declined to register, citing fears of their safety.

Two of the three sources said they accepted it; the third said he refused.

“The house is full. Everyone with experience in fighting is gathering,” one of them admitted.

He said he had previously fought in Ukraine and Syria for groups of Russian security contractors, whose operations are closely aligned with Russia’s strategic interests. The contractor refused to identify him.

The fighter said he intended to join the mercenaries on the Russian side of the Luhansk region, which is part of the separatist Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine.

The Kremlin says it has nothing to do with Russia’s private military contracts, which it describes as unrelated to the state.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: “This is the first time we have heard of this and we do not know how reliable these assertions are.”

Peskov said there were no Russian regular forces or military advisers in eastern Ukraine and that he had never been there, and that Moscow was not considering sending anyone. Kiev discusses this and says that there are regular Russian armies.

SPECIAL TRAINING

Alexander Ivanov, head of the Community of International Security Officers, a non-governmental group representing Russian contractors in the Central African Republic, said he had “not a single assertion” that Russian mercenaries had been deployed to Ukraine.

Three sources said there was no plan for a new Russian attack on Ukraine or any preparations that would suggest it would be agreed.

One of the sources, a contractor who has been involved in Russian operations abroad and has already arrived in eastern Ukraine, said the deployment was for defense purposes. The first mercenary said the same thing.

Another source said he was not directly involved in the implementation, but was in contact with people on the ground who were undergoing special training. He said the purpose of the expansion was to call for sabotage activities to undermine Ukraine’s stability.

The Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) declared independence from Ukraine in 2014 after separatist fighters took control of a part of eastern Ukraine. Protected by Russia, its self-proclaimed status has not been recognized internationally. Alexander Borodai, former DPR prime minister and head of the Donbass Volunteer Union, said his organization was not involved in the recruitment of mercenaries from eastern Ukraine.

Members of his organization have previously fought in Ukraine and Syria.

“We will call the people if necessary and when, but so far there has been no call,” said Borodai, a member of parliament for the Russian ruling party.

Separatist spokesman Eduard Basurin said he knew nothing about Russian deployments of security contractors in eastern Ukraine.

The Ukrainian military intelligence service has not commented, and the state security service has not responded to the request.