Russia accuses Ukraine of allowing its troops to fight alongside Georgia

Times Online (U.K.) ^ | August 25, 2009 | Tony Halpin

[Schnucki]

Russia accused Ukraine yesterday of allowing its troops to fight with Georgia in the war over South Ossetia.

In a significant ratcheting-up of tension between Moscow and Kiev, prosecutors alleged that serving soldiers in the Ukrainian Army took part in the “genocide and multiple murders of Russian citizens” in the war over the breakaway Georgian region.

The Investigative Committee of the Prosecutor-General’s Office also claimed to have “irrefutable evidence” that a Ukrainian ultranationalist organisation, the UNA-UNSO, fought alongside Georgian troops in last August’s conflict.

“Servicemen of regular units of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry and no less than 200 UNA-UNSO members . . . participated in the Georgian armed aggression against South Ossetia,” Vladimir Markin, a committee spokesman, said.

The Ukrainian Defence Ministry denied that its soldiers fought in the five-day war. The Kremlin has previously accused Kiev of sending weapons to Georgia but this is the first time that it has claimed that Ukrainian soldiers fought against the Russian Army.

The allegation came less than two weeks after President Medvedev sent an open letter to his Ukrainian counterpart, Viktor Yushchenko, accusing him of pursuing anti-Russian policies. Mr Medvedev said that he would not send a new Russian ambassador to Kiev because he saw no prospect of normal relations while Mr Yushchenko was in power.

The Investigative Committee said that it had found field uniforms, personal belongings and photographs belonging to Ukrainian nationalists in a Georgian enclave of South Ossetia.

The breakaway region’s pro-Moscow President, Eduard Kokoity, also said that his forces had seized notebooks listing the names of Ukrainians who had fought with Georgia during the war. Mykola Karpyuk, deputy leader of the UNA-UNSO, said that none of its members had taken part in the conflict.

Russia aired its allegations as Mr Yushchenko rode in an armoured truck at a

[Jmouse007]

Better to fight Russia in Georgia than it the Ukraine!

[rjp2005]

Baloney. They just want another reason to grab the Ukraine eventually.

[dfwgator]

Russia wants Ukraine back, just like the Nazis wanted Danzig back in 1939.

As Shirley Bassey sang:

.. and I’ve seen it before
.. and I’ll see it again
.. yes I’ve seen it before
.. just little bits of history repeating

[allmost]

Putin's not going to miss out on the international free for all that is the obama administration. He read Bush well. Knowing he wouldn't start another conflict to leave to his successor with regards to Georgia. Russian eyes have been on Ukraine since...

[VeniVidiVici]

Their tactics never change, do they?

Although they’ll wish they hadn’t gone into the Ukraine if that’s Putin’s intention.

[Samogon]

The difference between Russia and Nazis is only cosmetical. The information war against Ukraine never stopped nor slowed down, with only one goal in mind: to humble down and bring Ukraine back into colonial status. Fortunately, the Russian bear is pretty toothless, they could barely kick tiny Georgia's behind, but some of the Russian rulers may be dumb just enough to start an aggression against Ukraine. Russian people are very susceptible to propaganda as a result of never ceasing brainwashing, so more than half of russians count ukrainians as their literal enemy. The situation is serious and deteriorating.