A Russian-backed separatist leader in eastern Ukraine said on Monday that a full-scale war could break out there at any time and that his forces might need to turn to Moscow for support.
Dennis Pushilin, leader of the breakaway Donetsk People’s Republic, said there was a strong possibility of war that would result in huge losses, although it would be “crazy” to do so.
“First of all, we rely on ourselves, but we do not rule out that we will be forced to turn to Russia if Ukraine, with the support of Western countries, crosses a certain line,” he told Reuters in an interview at his stronghold.
About 15,000 people have been killed since 2014 in fighting between Russian-backed separatists and the Ukrainian army, according to the Kiev government.
Tensions have risen sharply since November, when Russia began mobilizing more than 100,000 troops on Ukraine’s border, raising fears of a much bigger war despite Moscow’s insistence it has no plans to invade.
Pushilin said the separatists had gaps in their weapons in terms of electronic warfare, air defense and the ability to deal with Turkish military drones.
He said he had no contact with Russia over arms supplies, but made an “important statement” to a ruling party politician in the Russian parliament last month, who said Moscow should supply certain types of weapons to separatists in Donetsk and in neighboring Luhansk.
Source: Capital
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