Smear campaign by US: Russia
Moscow, July 25: Russia on Friday called the latest US accusations of Moscow’s involvement in the Ukrainian conflict a baseless “smear campaign” and said Washington bears responsibility for the bloodshed.
“We reject the unfounded public insinuations” like Moscow’s supplying pro- Russian rebels with weapons and firing on eastern Ukraine, said the Russian foreign ministry, calling them a “smear campaign” and adding that “Washington fully shares the responsibility for the bloodshed.”
Meanwhile, Dutch troops have been consigned to barracks and had leave cancelled ahead of a possible mission to secure the MH17 crash site in rebel- held Ukraine, the defence ministry said on Friday.
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Friday that a decision on a military deployment to the area in war- torn eastern Ukraine could be taken as early as this weekend. “People are consigned to barracks so that they can respond quickly if there's need,” ministry spokeswoman Marloes Visser told AFP.
“In this case that means that troops must be available and can't take leave. This is standard procedure in a planning process,” she said, declining to say how many troops were on standby.
The Netherlands and Australia lost the most citizens when the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 was shot down on July 17 killing all 298 people on board.
The United States on Thursday said it had evidence Russian forces were firing artillery from inside Russia on Ukrainian troops, in what officials called a “clear escalation” of the conflict.
Moscow is also planning to “deliver heavier and more powerful multiple rocket launchers” to the proRussian separatist forces in Ukraine, US deputy state department spokeswoman Marie Harf said.
The evidence was based on “intelligence information” indicating arms were “continuing to flow across the border” into Ukraine since the shooting down of a Malaysian airliner with 298 on board, Ms Harf said. But she refused to reveal the evidence behind the allegation or give further information. “They’re firing artillery from within Russia to attack Ukrainian military,” Ms Harf told reporters.
Washington, however, was still looking into the downing of two Ukrainian fighter jets on Wednesday. Kiev has alleged the warplanes were hit by missiles fired from Russian territory.
The shelling by Russian forces against Ukrainian positions had been “going on for several days,” said Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren. “It’s a clear escalation,” Col. Warren told reporters. The Pentagon did not specify the precise location of the Russian artillery units or the artillery fire. The Russian shelling has taken place “within the last 14 days,” according to a statement issued by US intelligence agencies.
Russia has continued a troop build- up near the border of Ukraine and kept up deliveries of arms to separatists since the downing of the airliner, United States defence officials said. — AFP