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Kiev, Moscow spat over 2 Russians detained in E. Ukraine

Xinhua, May 19, 2015 Adjust font size:

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said Tuesday it has sent a note of protest to Moscow over the alleged involvement of Russian soldiers in the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine.

"Today we have sent an official note of protest to the Russian Foreign Ministry in connection with the detention of two soldiers," Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's special envoy, told a media briefing.

On Saturday, Ukrainian security officers seized two Russian citizens near the town of Schastie in Lugansk region who claimed to be Russian soldiers, Kuleba said, calling the incident "evidence" of the presence of Russian troops on Ukrainian territory.

The Russian Defense Ministry said that the two men captured by the Ukrainian forces had previously served in the Russian army, but are no longer active servicemen.

Kiev has long accused Moscow of aiding pro-independence insurgents in eastern Ukraine and sending troops to combat areas in the restive Lugansk and Donetsk regions.

Moscow has repeatedly dismissed Kiev's claims, saying that Ukraine has offered no evidence of Russia's alleged involvement in the conflict, which has killed over 6,100 people since April 2014. Endi