Moscow lays blame for violence in Kyiv on radicals
MOSCOW. Feb 20 (Interfax) - Radical gunmen are responsible for the ongoing violence in Kyiv, as the Ukrainian Interior Forces and the special task police force Berkut do not have firearms, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said at a news conference in Moscow on Thursday.
"I have said absolutely clearly that the radical gunmen, who have taken up arms and are calling for an armed uprising and the toppling of the government, bear primary responsibility," Lukashevich said when asked whether the Ukrainian legitimate authorities are responsible for the violence in Kyiv.
"Our information indicates that some military servicemen and law enforcement officials were killed today," Lukashevich said.
"You can see videos literally every minute in which the gunmen say openly that state-of-the-art firearms are coming into their possession. There have been reports that the gunmen got over 1,500 rifles, assault rifles, and other firearms today alone by plundering military depots," he said.
Lukashevich pointed out that "members of the Ukrainian Interior Ministry's Interior Forces and the Berkut special task force do not have firearms, which you have seen perfectly well in the videos."
"Concerning the casualties' affiliation and the specifics of the injuries caused, most of them are law enforcement members anyway," he said.
"Some European politicians have gone as far as to say that our Russian special forces were seen on Maidan [Independence Square]. This had to be denied, including through social media," Lukashevich said.