Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova listens during the annual news conference of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, who was not pictured in Moscow, Russia on January 16, 2019. MOSCOW, December 1, Reuters - Russia accused Ukraine on Wednesday of sending half of its army or 125,000 troops to Donbass, a conflict zone in eastern Ukraine where government forces have been fighting Russia-backed separatists since 2014.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was talking about the accusation during a briefing in Moscow. There was no immediate response from Kyiv.
Russia has said it is worried about Ukrainian intentions as tensions between Kyiv and Moscow escalated over Western fears about a new Russian attack on Ukraine, something Russia has dismissed as a fear-mongering.
Zakharova commented on an offer by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan for Ankara to serve as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine. She said that the offer did not refer to the conflict between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists in Donbass.