Support The Moscow Times!

Moscow Says It Has Nothing to Do With Hundreds of Tanks in Eastern Ukraine

Maxim Stulov / Vedomosti

The Kremlin has denied having any links to hundreds of tanks allegedly spotted in eastern Ukraine.

Presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov repeated claims that Moscow was not involved in arming separatists, despite allegations that 700 tanks had been seen in the Donbas region.

“I imagine that asking either Moscow or Kiev where these tanks have come from will get you the same response,” he said. “I can’t give you an absolute answer [on where the tanks came from], but I can tell you that they haven’t come from Russia.”

Peskov also denied that Russia was sending fighters into the region. “Volunteers are not moving through official channels,” he said. “We know that there are Russian citizens there, but they are volunteers who went to the area to protect local people from aggressive Ukrainian forces.”

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko told U.S. news network CNN in September 2016 that Russia had sent 700 tanks to aid separatist fighters in the Donbass region. He also claimed that Moscow had sent more than 1,250 artillery systems, 1,000 armed personnel carriers, and 300 multi-rocket launch systems.

… we have a small favor to ask.

As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just 2. It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.

Continue

Read more