MOSCOW - Russian Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov said that reports about Russian paratroopers allegedly killed in Ukraine are mere rumors.
“The Defense Ministry has considered your inquiry about rumors alleging that Russian servicemen fought in Ukraine and that the 76th airborne assault division has been awarded a Suvorov Order. These rumors are being spread mostly by Ukrainian and individual Western media,” Pankov said in a letter, cited by Russian lawmaker Dmitry Gudkov on Live Journal on Sept. 29.
Gudkov said that he had referred an inquiry to the Defense Ministry in connection with numerous letters on this issue.
