Verkhovna Rada Chairman and Acting President of Ukraine Oleksandr Turchynov has urged the Russian Federation to stop using blackmail and withdraw its troops from Ukraine's borders.
“We’re demanding Russia stop intervening in the internal affairs of
Ukraine, cease its constant threats and blackmail, and withdraw its
troops from the eastern border of our country,” he said in a television
address on Thursday evening.
Turchynov said that “The Russian Federation coordinates and openly
supports killers and terrorists, who operate with weapons in their hands
in the east of our country.”
“Without any grounds, Russia’s leadership allows itself in a blatant
way to interfere in the domestic affairs of Ukraine. Russia at the state
level supports terrorism in our country at the time when Russian
citizens constantly suffer from terrorist attacks on its own territory.
Wars, terrorist attacks, regional separatism are well-known Russian
problems, which the country has now artificially tried to transfer to
Ukraine,” the acting president said.
According to him, after Ukrainian security forces took successful
steps to fight terrorism “the Russian Federation switched from public
threats in our address to demonstrative concentration of the armed
forces directly on the eastern border of our state.”
“Besides, the number of these [army] units, which for a long time
have been threatening to security of our country, is increasing,” he
said.
The terrorist took hostage the whole Donetsk region, and overstepped the limits of humanity, he said.
“The armed criminals seize administrative buildings, take citizens
hostage, including foreign journalists, and torture and kill patriots of
Ukraine,” Turchynov said.
He reiterated that resuming of the anti-terrorism operation was caused by a real threat, and the necessity to protect people.
The Ukrainian government will continue to take measures to protect civilians, Turchynov said
