The Russian Defense Ministry announced today that Ukrainian nationalists are holding more than 7,000 foreign citizens as hostage.
“Neo-militants and neo-nationalists in Ukraine are holding more than 7,000 foreign citizens as hostages, and the crews of 70 foreign ships are trapped in Ukrainian ports,” TASS news agency quoted the Ministry’s spokesman, Major General Igor Konashnikov, as saying.
“In the past 24 hours, we have received 11,400 evacuation requests from Ukraine to Russia, and so far 11,372 people have been evacuated from dangerous areas, including 1,873 children,” Konashnikov added.
Konashnikov pointed out that “2709 tons of humanitarian supplies have already been delivered to five regions of Ukraine, in addition to regions in the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics in the Donbass.”
Konashnikov indicated that Western countries, the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the International Committee of the Red Cross are working to hide the facts of missile and artillery attacks on densely populated areas in Donetsk.