Russian Defense Ministry blames Ukrainian nationalistic forces for rendering situation in country catastrophic

MOSCOW. March 3 (Interfax) - The situation virtually across the entire territory of Ukraine is becoming catastrophic, for which Ukrainian nationalistic forces are to blame, a high-ranking Russian military official said.

"This catastrophic situation is taking shape virtually on the entire Ukrainian territory," Russian National Defense Control Center chief Mikhail Mizintsev said.

Local nationalistic units are barring dozens of thousands of civilians in Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Odesa, Mariupol, and at least 20 other large localities across Ukraine from leaving for safe places, he said.

"All these facts openly indicate the use by the Kyiv regime of prohibited methods of warfare in violation of international law. Hence, Ukraine is actually seeing a humanitarian disaster," Mizintsev said.