Ukrainian Civilians 'Hostages' Of Kiev Authorities - Russian Ambassador To Canada

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 25th April, 2022) Russian Ambassador to Canada Oleg Stepanov says the people of Ukraine are hostages of the nationalist authorities in Kiev, which, with Western support, have allowed the country to spiral into its current state.

Russia never intended to get involved in the Ukraine conflict militarily, unless there was a provocation on the part of the Kiev regime, Stepanov told CTV host Evan Solomon.

"Right now, we have 100% concrete proof that with the help, of your government in particular, the authorities in Kiev planned an offensive military operation against Donbas republics," Stepanov said in the CTV interview released on Sunday.

Western countries "failed to notice that for 8 years, the consecutive governments in Kiev were waging war against civilian population of Donbas, against their own citizens, who are ethnic Russians," the ambassador emphasized.

He recalled that Moscow was very direct in conveying to Western governments that the Ukraine crisis could be resolved with the help of the Minsk agreements, which were, nonetheless, never implemented by Kiev.

Asked about the alleged civilian killings in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, Stepanov pointed out that all of the pictures he has seen that have been circulating in international media show bodies with white arm bands that are usually worn either by Russian troops or forces allied to Russian troops. The Russian ambassador also recalled a video filmed by the Ukrainian nationalist battalion that entered Bucha after Russian troops left.

In that video, the battalion's leader gives the green light to shoot at civilians in the town.

Stepanov also denied any Russian involvement in the Kramatorsk railway station attack, stressing that it was carried out using a Tochka-U missile which is only used by Ukrainian troops and is not in the arsenal of the Russian Armed Forces.

"Ukrainian troops are shelling their own citizens in order to present it as if it was done by the Russians," Stepanov said.

He strongly denied all Western claims that Russia has allegedly committed war crimes in Ukraine, saying that the "presumption of guilt" is often used by Western governments against Russia.

"...the people of Ukraine became hostages of the nationalistic and actually anti-national series of governments," Stepanov said, adding that, while Russia is set on helping protect the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR), the people of Ukraine will be the ones to decide the future of their country.

Russia launched its special military operation in Ukraine on February 24, after the DPR and LPR appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian provocations. Russia said that the aim of its special operation is to demilitarize and "denazify" Ukraine. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the goal is to protect the people of Donbas, "who have been subjected to abuse, genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years."