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Russia will eliminate any foreign fighters and Western generals in Ukraine: Lavrov
Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed that Ukraine allowed mercenaries of various nationalities and Western generals to use civilian infrastructure to fight against Russia, vowing that all such foreign personnel will be destroyed.
Lavrov said: “The fact that the Ukrainians use civil facilities for holding all sorts of meetings of mercenaries, Western generals and instructors with their military, breaching international humanitarian law and committing a war crime, is Ukraine’s fault,” state news agency TASS cited him as saying.
The Russian accusation of Ukraine using mercenaries is ironic given that up until last week Moscow reaped the gains of the Wagner mercenary group fighting on the front lines and seizing control of Ukrainian territory such as the key city Bakhmut.
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Lavrov continued: “If we spot such gatherings, like the meeting in Kramatorsk, we will destroy them because these are the people who have declared a war against us,” referring to Russia’s recent high-precision strike on a temporary brigade base in the Donbass city of Kramatorsk, during which three Colombian nationals were injured.
The Russian Defense Ministry had claimed that the base was hosting a staff meeting involving dozens of Ukrainian officers and foreign advisers, and reported that the attack resulted in the deaths of “two generals, up to 50 officers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as well as up to 20 foreign mercenaries and military advisers.”
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