OSCE: Fighters captured in Ukraine admit to serving in Russia army
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 21 May 2015 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, OSCE: Fighters captured in Ukraine admit to serving in Russia army, 21 May 2015, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/558bc4b332.html [accessed 8 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
May 21, 2015
Aleksandr Aleksandrov, one of two captured Russian soldiers, in a Kyiv hospital on May 19.
European mediators in the Ukrainian crisis say two men captured by Kyiv's troops had confessed to being members of the Russian armed forces sent in to back up pro-Moscow separatist fighters.
The revelation by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) provides some of the strongest independent evidence to date of Russian President Vladimir Putin's direct involvement in the 13-month war in the neighboring nation.
Kyiv and its Western allies have long accused Russia of backing up rebels with weapons and troops.
Russia denies the allegations.
The OSCE said it interviewed the two men in a military hospital on May 20, after they were wounded and taken prisoner by Ukrainian government forces last week near a part of the eastern province of Luhansk controlled by separatists.
The OSCE said in a report, "Both individuals claimed that they were members of a unit of the armed forces of the Russian Federation. They claimed that they were on a reconnaissance mission. They were armed but had no orders to attack."
"One of them said he had received orders from his military unit to go to Ukraine; he was to 'rotate' after three months. Both of them said they had been to Ukraine 'on missions' before," the OSCE added.
Based on www.osce.org/ukraine-smm/159296 and AFP
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
