MOSCOW. Aug 18 (Interfax) - The self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic has dismissed the U.S. State Department's claims accusing the DPR militia of escalating the conflict in Donbas as a 'media provocation'.
"It is another media provocation, which this time comes from the [U.S.] Department of State. It is being done in order to conceal military crimes being committed by Kyiv in Donbas. I mean, among other facts, strikes against residential areas and civilian casualties," Eduard Basurin of the DPR Defense Ministry told Interfax.
Basurin also insists that such statements are not true.
"This categorically fails to reflect what is actually happening there. Yesterday we were accused of allegedly planning to stage an offensive on Mariupol, and today we have this. But nothing of this kind is happening," he added.