MOSCOW - Russian President Vladimir Putin today ordered the army to facilitate the deployment of volunteers to Ukraine to respond to what he said was the sending of mercenaries by the West.
“If you see that people want to go voluntarily, other than for money and you want to help those who live in Donbass (eastern Ukraine) you should know who they are and help them to join the combat zone,” Putin said in response to a proposal from the Russian Defense Minister.
In the early hours of 24 February, Russia launched a military offensive in Ukraine that caused at least 406 deaths and more than 800 injuries among the civilian population and caused the flight of more than two million people to neighboring countries, according to the latest data of the UN.
The Russian invasion was condemned by most of the international community, which responded by sending weapons to Ukraine and reinforcing economic sanctions on Moscow.
