© RIA NovostiUkrainian servicemen at a tent camp in the Rostov region
The command in Kiev has blatantly abandoned a group of more than 400 soldiers encircled by the self-defense forces, the senior Ukrainian officer who requested sanctuary in Russia with his men has revealed.
Lack of ammunition, food, fuel and clear orders from the command on how to act in the condition of encirclement has made the Ukrainian troops cross the border, Major Vitaly Dubinyak, a battalion commander, told Itar-Tass news agency.
"For two weeks, we were fighting back without ammunition and fuel. I didn't have the opportunity to feed my men for almost two weeks. We even ran out of first strike ration.
The personnel were more exhausted by despair than by the actual shelling," Dubinyak said.
"Other than giving us a command to 'hold on,' Kiev provided us with no other assistance. And during the last week, they've aborted all communication. They've simply given up on us
," he added.
A total of 438 soldiers, including 164 Ukrainian border guards, were
allowed into Russia on Sunday night.
The troops have been housed in a tent camp deployed near the checkpoint via which they entered Russian territory.
Comment: Grass-roots actions are, and have always been the most effective way to change the world. Kudos to these brave people.