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Russia will respond to the recent sanctions imposed by Kiev against Moscow amid the escalating conflict in eastern Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.
"The Russian side will react in such a way that is in line with our own interests," Xinhua news agency quoted Peskov as saying at a briefing on Monday. He added that by doing this, Ukraine risks severing all remaining ties between the two countries. According to the spokesman, Ukraine has not been fulfilling its obligations under the Minsk agreements, leading to an escalation of the ongoing tensions in parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, collectively known as Donbas. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday announced sanctions against Russia's international cooperation agency Rossotrudnichestvo, the Volga-Dnepr company, and more than 60 other Russian and foreign companies. Russia voiced "serious concerns" over the escalation of armed confrontation between the Donbas insurgents and Ukrainian government forces, following the escalation of tensions in the region. Commenting on the movement of Russian troops near the border with Ukraine, Peskov said last week that Moscow was taking necessary measures to ensure its border security and poses no threat to others. During the weekend, Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists in the conflict-hit region accused each other of attacks. Insurgents have controlled parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, collectively known as Donbas, along the Russian border for almost seven years. According to UN estimates, more than 13,000 people have been killed since then. Despite an agreed ceasefire, at least 21 soldiers have been killed on the government side since the beginning of the year. According to the separatists, about 23 people have been killed in the same period. A peace plan agreed in 2015 is on ice. Meanwhile, the International Red Cross recently pointed out that parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions were among the most heavily mined areas in the world. --IANS ksk/ ( 323 Words) 2021-04-06-09:50:13 (IANS)
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