Ukrainian military intelligence says Russia is smuggling weapons into eastern Ukraine and recruiting
Ukraine's military intelligence service accused Russia on Friday of secretly sending weaponry and supplies into eastern Ukraine while also recruiting mercenaries to support pro-Russian separatists.
Ukraine said that Russia "continues to increase the combat capabilities" of pro-Russian forces in separatist-controlled regions, explaining that Russia has "secretly transferred by rail and road more than 7,000 tons of fuel, several tanks and self-propelled artillery units" and is involved in the "active recruitment of mercenaries," AFP reported.
Reuters reported in late December that Russia had been deploying mercenaries to eastern Ukraine, though Moscow denied the allegations, saying it is "the first we've heard of this."
The Ukrainian military has been battling pro-Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine since Russia's invasion and annexation of Crimea in 2014. The conflict has killed over 13,000 people.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ukrainian-military-intelligence-says-russia-is-smuggling-weapons-into-eastern-ukraine-and-recruiting-mercenaries/ar-AAT0VWe
= new reply since forum marked as read
