100 Germans join pro-Russia forces in E Ukraine: Report
A new report says over 100 German citizens have joined the ranks of pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine.
According to a report published by German weekly Welt Am Sonntag on Sunday, dozens of German citizens traveled to eastern Ukraine to help pro-Russians in clashes with the Ukrainian army.
One German citizen reportedly lost his life in the deadly conflict in the region on February 12.
Many of these German fighters have posted their pictures on the Internet wearing military uniforms and carrying weaponry during operations in the violence-wracked east of Ukraine, the report added.
Some of them had previously served in Bundeswehr, Germany’s unified armed forces, according to the weekly.
The report also said the Ukrainian ambassador to Berlin has urged Germany to stop what he called “war tourism” of its citizens.
Andrej Melnik stressed that he had asked Berlin officials to do their utmost to guarantee that German citizens “did not move towards the east [of Ukraine] or participate in the murders and deaths."
Germany has confirmed the participation of its nationals in the Ukrainian conflict, but said it has no information regarding their motivations.
“In case there was any information about a possible trip by persons intending to participate in the conflict in Ukraine, the knowledge would be used to prevent the persons’ journey or make it difficult,” the weekly quoted the German Interior Ministry as saying.
The report said that Germany may adopt punitive measures against its citizens fighting alongside pro-Russians against Kiev.
History of conflict
Donetsk and Lugansk are two mainly Russian-speaking regions in eastern Ukraine which have been hit by deadly clashes between pro-Moscow forces and the Ukrainian army since Kiev launched military operations in April last year to crush pro-Russia protests there.
In May 2014, the situation in the two flashpoint regions started to worsen as residents overwhelmingly voted for independence from Ukraine in referendums.
FNR/MKA/HMV
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