Those who don’t lay arms, will be destroyed - Ukrainian military op commander

Published time: April 15, 2014 15:49
Edited time: April 15, 2014 16:50

Ukrainian soldiers are seen near a MI-8 military helicopter and armored personnel carrier at a checkpoint near the town of Izium in Eastern Ukraine, April 15, 2014. (Reuters / Dmitry Madorsky)

A Ukrainian general leading the operation against protesters in the east of the country has warned that activists who refuse to lay down their arms will be “destroyed.”
“They must be warned that if they do not lay down their arms, they will be destroyed,” General Vasily Krutov, first deputy head of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) told reporters, as cited by AFP.
Krutov, recently appointed chief of the SBU’s Anti-Terrorist Center, added that activists were being supported by hundreds of soldiers from the Russian army's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU).
The Kremlin said the allegations about Russia’s military presence in eastern Ukraine are “absurd.”
"These are absurd statements. There are no Russian troops there. The president and the foreign minister have spoken about it,” said Vladimir Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov on Tuesday.
"We can only be startled by the fact that all these statements made by the Russian side are deliberately chosen not to be heard (by the West)," he added.
Kiev authorities launched a military operation against anti-government protesters in the East of the former Soviet republic.
According to activists, four people were killed and two others injured on Tuesday as troops seized an airfield in the city of Kramatorsk, which had earlier been controlled by protesters.
A source at Ukraine’s Defense Ministry told Interfax that there were no victims among the military as a result of the operation.
Acting President Aleksandr Turchinov confirmed that Ukrainian special forces regained control over the facility.
Conflicting reports say that Ukrainian military – supported by armored vehicles and helicopters – have also entered the city of Slavyansk.
Earlier on Tuesday, Roman Sokolenko, from the People's Militia of Donbass, told RT that transport was not being allowed out of the eastern city while “tanks were approaching.” He said protesters were manning barricades in preparation for the possible storm. Activists were in good spirits and “ready to protect their land.”