Interfax: No U.S. security forces in southeast Ukraine – Kyiv

KYIV. April 8 (Interfax) – Ukraine’s acting chief of the presidential administration Serhiy Pashynsky has denied claims that foreign mercenaries are involved in the Interior Ministry’s operations in east Ukraine.

“I responsibly declare: there is no Right Sector, let alone U.S. security forces, in Kharkiv, Donetsk or Luhansk,” Pashynsky said.

He joked, pointing at himself and Ukrainian Interior Minister Arsen Avakov standing beside him: “American spies, two American security officers, are standing in front of you.”

Later the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry denied that any foreigners were involved in handling the situation in southeastern Ukrainian towns.

“The police measures currently in place in the eastern regions of Ukraine involve solely Ukrainian law enforcement,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Yevhen Perebyinis said at a briefing on Tuesday.

“We are surprised by such Russian claims,” he said.

Last week the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry already denied such information from a blog, he recalled. “Of course, it got no confirmation,” the diplomat said.

On April 7 the Russian Foreign Ministry stated that the Ukrainian Internal Troops and National Guards forces “with participation of militants from Right Sector, an illegal armed group,” were moving to the southeast regions, including Donetsk. “They have the task of cracking down on protests of the country’s southeastern residents against the policies of the current Kyiv authorities,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

Also, “particular alarm” is raised by the reports that this operation involves “about 150 U.S. specialists from the private military organization Greystone, disguised in Sokol special forces uniforms,” the ministry said.