According to a senior member of Russia’s ruling party, the country’s leadership should begin arming Ukraine’s separatist-held territories to assist them defend themselves against Western-backed Kyiv authorities.
Vladimir Vasilyev, the head of the United Russia faction in parliament’s lower house, the State Duma, said in a statement carried on Russian state television:
“We are appealing to the leadership of our country to provide assistance to the Lugansk and Donetsk republics in the form of supplies of military products necessary to deter aggression.”
He added: “We held consultations on this issue and came to the understanding that we cannot leave people to the mercy of the Kyiv regime.”
Russia is accused by the US and its EU allies of attempting to destabilize European stability by threatening to invade Ukraine, a former Soviet republic aspiring to join NATO and other Western institutions.
Moscow has denied any plans to invade the Ukraine, where it has supported separatist troops in the east since 2014, in addition to annexing Crimea. More than 13,000 people have died as a result of the violence.
The West and Kyiv accuse Moscow of fomenting an insurgency by crossing the border with weapons and troops.
Russia has always denied such claims, but Wednesday’s statement could mark a change in Moscow’s official stance.
There was no immediate official reaction from the Kremlin.
Vasilyev spoke after Andrei Turchak, first deputy speaker of the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, first floated the idea earlier in the day.
“Russia must provide the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics with necessary assistance by sending them certain types of weapons to ramp up their defense capability and deter a military aggression clearly being prepared by Kyiv,” he said in a statement on state television.
Turchak, who is also secretary of the general counsel of the ruling United Russia party, did not specify what types of weapons should be sent to Ukrainian separatists.
The ruling party is concerned by the escalation of tension and supply of Western arms to Kyiv, he said.
“Western patrons are pushing the Ukrainian junta towards a direct invasion of the Donbas,” he said, referring to the name for the two breakaway regions.
“The Kyiv regime must be stopped.”
