Civil war in Ukraine poses military danger to Russia - armed forces chief of staff
MOSCOW. April 16 (Interfax-AVN) - The 2013 coup in Ukraine has led to a civil war in this country, and Kyiv's military operation could also be directed against Russia, says Russian armed forces chief of staff Army Gen. Valery Gerasimov.
"In fact, a civil war is under way in Ukraine, and thousands of people have fallen victim to it. It's difficult to predict how this all could end up. We don't know what instructions the new Ukrainian authorities are receiving from their Western supervisors and where Kyiv's aggression could be channeled in the future," Gerasimov said at a security conference in Moscow on Thursday.
"But in any case, such uncertainty doesn't rule out military danger for Russia," he added.
He cited Georgia's attack on Russian peacekeepers stationed in South Ossetia in August 2008 as an example of such danger.
"The new Ukrainian leaders are trying to use military force to tame the citizens of Ukraine inhabiting Donbas, who have expressed no confidence in the illegitimate authorities and who disagree with the Russophobic policy being pursued in the country," Gerasimov said.