Moscow: West, Turning Blind Eye to Kiev's Crimes, Becomes Terrorists' Accomplice

“It is completely incomprehensible that Western countries do not pay any attention to the numerous war crimes of the Kiev regime against both residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics and Ukrainian citizens on territories controlled by Kiev,” Col. Gen. Mizintsev stated at a briefing, RIA Novosti reported.

According to him, the "civilized West", applying the policy of double standards, is not at all interested in conducting an impartial investigation and finding the perpetrators, and often simply turns a blind eye to the numerous violations of international conventions by the Ukrainian side, or groundlessly shifts the blame onto Russia.

"All this equates the authorities of the 'civilized countries' with accomplices of terrorists, and also gives confidence to the Kiev regime in impunity for any, even the most cynical crimes committed by them against their own citizens, and justifies the cruelty of Ukrainian nationalists towards civilians who do not support their Nazi ideology," Col. Gen. Mizintsev added.

Russian President Vladimir Putin noted in a televised address on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics, he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years".

The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, noting that the operation was aimed at the denazification and demilitarization of Ukraine.

The Kremlin has since demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join NATO.

The US, the EU, the UK and a number of other states have imposed sanctions against Russian legal entities and individuals. They also increased supplies of weapons to the Ukrainian authorities.