By Ateet Sharma
New Delhi, Apr 30 (IANS): Russia has alleged that Ukraine, with the help of NATO countries, has become "a center of accumulation of terrorists and mercenaries of all stripes" with combat experience in the "hotspots" of the world, as it was in Iraq and Syria.
Quoting figures received from the country's Ministry of Defence, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that more than 6.8 thousand foreign mercenaries from 63 states - most of them citizens of Poland, USA, Canada, Romania, Great Britain and Georgia - have flocked to Ukraine since Moscow began its 'special military operation' on February 24.
Zakharova stated that the NATO countries have "invested significant forces and resources" in the military and ideological training of local nationalists who are taking on Russia right now.
At the same time, she said, the West does not stop pumping weapons into the Kyiv regime, preparing dozens of large-caliber howitzers, artillery mounts, thousands of artillery shells, hundreds of armoured personnel carriers for transfer to the Ukrainian capital. The Foreign Ministry spokesperson claimed that all this is being done "with the sole purpose of prolonging the hostilities" as much as possible and hindering the peaceful settlement of the conflict.
"There are clear parallels with the Syrian story, when weapons supplied by the West to the 'moderate' Syrian opposition were sold in large quantities in the 'black market' and fell into the hands of ISIS terrorists. Do you remember who the West fought with later? USA, UK, France, Germany, Italy... With the same ISIS. The same pattern, vicious circle, we do not rule out... In fact, we predict that the same fate will befall Western weapons in Ukraine," she said.
Zakharova's comments came a few hours after Russian Foreign Intelligence Service (FSB) chief Sergey Naryshkin had said that the Polish authorities are working hand in glove with the United States to establish control over Ukraine.
"There is evidence that Washington and Warsaw are working out plans to establish tight military-political control of Poland over their historical possessions in Ukraine," Naryshkin was quoted as saying by Russian state-owned news agency RIA Novosti.
"The first stage of 'reunification' should be the entry of Polish troops into the western regions of Ukraine under the slogan of 'protecting them from Russian aggression'. Now the modality of this mission is being discussed with the administration of US President Joe Biden," added the report, detailing a statement from the intelligence body's press bureau.
The intelligence agency's boss also believes that the Polish secret services are now looking for "negotiable representatives of the Ukrainian elite" in order to form a "democratic" counterbalance to the nationalists from them.
"Warsaw expects that the consolidation of Ukraine in the west with a high degree of probability will lead to a split in the country, and Poland will receive control over the territories occupied by peacekeepers," said Naryshkin.
The move, said another FSB veteran, could instead hit Poland hard as the gangster groups formed from the "fascist elements of Ukraine" could some day establish their own rule in the country and rule the roost.
"A little more time will pass and all the routes that go from Berlin to Brest will be under the control of these guys here. And, then there will be control over prostitution, control over drugs, over counterfeit money, control over human trafficking, and everything else," said Major General of the FSB in the reserve Alexander Mikhailov who is also a member of the Russian Council on Foreign and Defence Policy.