Russian army servicemen who have volunteered to join the fighting in eastern Ukraine cannot be called mercenaries, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
“The president is in charge of everything here, in Russia, the same as it is in practically any other presidential republic. As to military servicemen, the supreme commander in chief is responsible for their fate. Please note that this is one and the same person in our country,” Putin said at an annual press conference on Dec.18, answering a question from a Ukrainian journalist.
“All people who fulfill their duty by the call of their heart or voluntarily engage in any hostilities, including those in south-eastern Ukraine, are not mercenaries because they are not being paid,” Putin emphasized.
