Donetsk
Militants of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic train at a range in Donetsk.
A bribery case in southern Russia indicates the country had troops stationed in eastern Ukraine, contradicting a long-held Kremlin position that it has never been a party to the conflict in the region.

The verdict in the case against V.H. Zaboluyev, the deputy manager of a food supplier in Rostov-on-Don, a city near eastern Ukraine, states that he oversaw the procurement and delivery of food to "Russian military personnel located in the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR)."

DPR and LPR refer to parts of two regions in eastern Ukraine controlled by Kremlin-backed separatists since war broke out in early 2014 following the toppling of pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.


Comment: Actually these regions voted to secede from Ukraine after the US-backed coup in the country.


The deliveries in question were made in 2018 and 2019, according to the verdict, which was published on the court's website last month. However, media only recently discovered the text.

The verdict states that a convoy of more than 70 trucks carrying 1,300 tons of food -- including flour, canned goods, and fresh vegetables -- embarked on the regular trip from Rostov-on-Don to eastern Ukraine to supply Russian military personnel.

"This food was intended to be sent to military units of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation stationed on the territory of the DPR and LPR," the ruling states.

The food deliveries would be enough to feed about 26,000 people, according to calculations by RFE/RL.


Comment: If a battalion or two of Russian troops were stationed in the region, it's likely we would have heard about it by now.


It's unclear whether any of the supplies went to separatist forces


Comment: The regions have been under attack from Ukraine's military, in violation of the Minsk agreements, for years, and so it's quite likely that some of the supplies went to the civilians of the regions, as well as its fighters: Ukraine army shells positions around Donetsk airport as heavy fighting in the region continues


When asked to comment about those details in the verdict, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated the government's position that there were no Russian troops in eastern Ukraine and said the court must have made a "mistake."

The court later removed a copy of the verdict from its website.

The United States and its allies have long said that thousands of Russian troops and large amounts of Russian equipment, munitions, and supplies are propping up separatist forces in eastern Ukraine.


Comment: So far there's still no evidence of that, just that food was being delivered. However, it is likely that Russia has been supplying the breakaway regions in some way or another, after all, it's only fair, the US has, to date, 'gifted' Ukraine $2.4 BILLION in 'security' assistance: 5 year-old-boy 'ripped apart' by Ukraine drone attack outside his home in Donetsk region


The nearly eight-year war between government forces and separatists has killed more than 13,200 people.


Comment: The details are unclear, but a few stats from Wikipedia allege:
3,393 civilians had been killed in the conflict[...]Ukrainian government forces have lost a confirmed total of 4,740 killed servicemen[...]The United Nations reported 5,650 separatists were killed by mid-February 2020[...]

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly described the fighting in eastern Ukraine as an "internal" issue and called on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to negotiate with the separatists. Zelenskiy has said he wants to negotiate with Putin.


Comment: Putin in response has said that there's little point when Zelenskiy is beholden to his masters in the West:
"Why should I meet Zelensky?" the Russian leader asked. "If he has given up his country to full external control, the key issues about life in Ukraine are resolved not in Kiev but in Washington, and, to some extent, in Berlin and Paris. What then would we talk about?"

A U.S. State Department spokesperson told RFE/RL that the details in the verdict "demonstrate that Moscow cannot credibly deny it isn't a party to the conflict" and called on Russia to play a constructive role in advancing a stalled peace process.

The court controversy comes amid growing fears Russia is preparing to invade Ukraine, something the Kremlin has also denied. Russia currently has about 100,000 troops stationed on its border with Ukraine.


Comment: 'On its border', one battalion is reported to be 120 miles away, and from The Guardian's own report:
One of the largest forces to remain comes from the 41st Combined Arms Army, which is headquartered in Novosibirsk almost 2,000 miles away.

The United States and its European allies have warned Russia it would face severe economic sanctions and other consequences if it were to attack Ukraine.