Moscow – The militiamen in Sloviansk, Donetsk region, had to leave the city to prevent numerous civilian deaths, but this absolutely does not mean that their resistance has been crushed, says Andrei Purgin, the first vice prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).
“Our resistance has not been crushed,” Purgin told Interfax-Ukraine on Saturday, July 5.
“Why have the militiamen left Sloviansk? But what would you do if you where shelled with mortars and artillery guns and pounded from the air and you had only three tanks and assault rifles?” Purgin said.
“The Ukrainian security forces in fact tried to raze Sloviansk to the ground,” he said.
“The militiamen’s withdrawal from Sloviansk is a sensible step aimed at preventing deaths among civilians and preserving the core of the Sloviansk militia,” Purgin said.
