LVIV. Nov 17 (Interfax-Ukraine) - Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksandr Kuzmuk said he does not believe that a scenario involving the use of force could follow the second round of presidential elections.
"I don't believe rumors about the possibility of a force scenario, I believe in Ukraine. Over the 13 years (of independence - Interfax), we've had significantly more serious preconditions for a civil war than the Caucasus or Yugoslavia, as Ukraine is inhabited by over 100 ethnic groups and a lot of various religious denominations. But this has never happened, and therefore I don't believe that a force scenario is possible at all," the minister said at a news briefing in Lviv.
Taking questions from the press, Kuzmuk said he has never given and is not going to give instructions to his subordinates as to how they should vote.
The defense minister is on a two-day working trip to the Lviv region.