Ukrainian government official: 30 percent of separatist troops in the Donbas are Russian
If Russia decides to withdraw its troops from the Donbas, it will be 30 percent of all the separatist troops fighting there against Ukrainian forces. The rest are the groups not subordinate to anyone. This was stated by Deputy Minister for Temporarily Occupied Territories George Tuka on the air of 112 Ukraine channel.
"According to various estimates, about 30% of the soldiers, who are in the territory of Ukraine, are Russian soldiers. The other 30% are the so-called "Cossacks" and various groups that often are not controlled by anyone. The remaining 30 percent are Ukrainian citizens who continue to fight against the Ukrainian authorities", Tuka said.
Earlier, the adviser to the head of the Interior Ministry, Ilya Kiva, said that Russian troops were gradually moving out of the Donbas to Russia.
According to the General Staff of the Ukrainian Army, last year the total number of militants and Russian soldiers in the temporarily occupied territory of Ukraine was 34 thousand, about 7 thousand of which were professional military.