Troops required near Russia-Ukraine border: Moscow

Russia says its extra troops that are stationed near the border with neighboring Ukraine are there due to the ongoing instability in the crisis-hit eastern European country.

“We…have forces in the region of the Ukrainian border. Some of these forces are based there permanently, others are there to reinforce against the backdrop of what is happening in Ukraine itself,” said Dmitry Peskov, spokesman to Russian President Vladimir Putin, in an interview with Rossiya 1 television on Friday.

He argued that because of Ukraine’s recent experience of a “military coup,” it seems natural for Moscow to take any “precautionary measures” in order to ensure its security.

Peskov added that Russia, as a sovereign state, can deploy its military forces anywhere in the country it deems necessary.

Moreover, the Kremlin spokesman said the accusations that his country has a role in what is happening in Ukraine are baseless.

On April 17, Kiev’s interim government together with the United States, Russia and the European Union reached a deal calling for all sides to “de-escalate” the ongoing crisis in eastern Ukraine, where anti-Kiev protesters have seized buildings in several towns and cities.

This came two days after Kiev launched massive military operations against pro-Russian activists in the country’s eastern cities after demonstrators defied a deadline set by the Ukrainian government to lay down arms and leave occupied state buildings.

Pro-Russia protests gained momentum in the eastern parts of Ukraine after Crimea declared independence from the former Soviet state and formally applied to become part of the Russian Federation following a referendum on March 16, in which almost 97 percent of the participants voted for rejoining Russia, with a turnout of over 83 percent.