Ukrainian soldier in Donetsk regionMOSCOW, Feb 18The Russian side is verifying information that mercenaries are being recruited in self-proclaimed Kosovo, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina to be sent to the Donbass, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with RT. «German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and all other NATO members say that NATO is a defensive alliance At a press conference following the talks, Russian President Vladimir Putin reminded Scholz of the bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999. He said that NATO had intervened to prevent the genocide of Kosovo Albanians, saying that they did everything successfully, and now this region is flourishing, «he recalled minister.
Under the guise of instructors, mercenaries are arriving in Ukraine, Pasechnik said. He noted that the region «is far from flourishing.» «Kosovo and some other parts of the Western Balkans are becoming a breeding ground for crime. There are terrorists, drug dealers. They recruit mercenaries to participate in hostilities in conflicts that are gradually fomented, including by the United States. There is information that mercenaries in Kosovo, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina are also being recruited in order to knock Russia off balance and send them, among other things, to the Donbass. We are rechecking this now,» Lavrov said. Moscow has repeatedly stated that Kiev is not complying with the Minsk agreements and is dragging out negotiations to resolve the conflict. The Russian Foreign Ministry noted that Kiev sent half of the entire personnel of the armed forces of Ukraine to the Donbass. Moscow expressed concern about the transfer of military equipment from NATO countries to the Russian borders and the increase in the number of Western instructors in the Donbass. Western countries continue to provide Ukraine with military support, including by supplying weapons that are used in the Donbass. movements
