Foreign minister denies Ukrainians trained in Poland
PR dla Zagranicy
Nick Hodge
17.03.2015 09:09
Poland's foreign minister Grzegorz Schetyna has denied that Ukrainian revolutionaries were trained in Poland, following claims made by President Vladimir Putin in a documentary aired on Sunday.
An activist of the Anti-Maidan movement installs an artwork representing Russian President Vladimir Putin during an outdoor exhibition entitled 'Crimea: Return to Home Port', in Moscow, Russia 16 March 2015. Photo: EPA/YURI KOCHETKOV
''This information is untrue,'' Schetyna commented in Brussels about Putin's claim in the 3-hour documentary 'Crimea: Path to the Motherland', which marked the first anniversary of the Russian annexation.
The Russian leader argued that protesters thronging Kiev in the lead-up to the February 2014 overthrow of President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych were trained in Poland and Lithuania in a US-led venture.
''This is absurd information, conforming to the conventions of recent film productions by Russian state television,'' Schetyna added.
''It's strange and absurd, and it shows the propaganda language of the fifties and sixties.''
In the documentary, Putin blamed America and the West for the problems in Ukraine.
However, he betrayed that he had called on military and security services to work towards the take-over of Crimea prior to the 16 March 2014 referendum on joining with Russia.
Putin made similar claims a year ago about Ukrainians being trained in Poland, and Warsaw denied the accusations.
Meanwhile, having not been seen in public since 5 March, the Russian leader reappeared on Monday, following a flurry of rumours. Putin commented that ''life would be boring without gossip.'' (nh)
Source: IAR