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Russia’s top security official says Ukraine’s economy is controlled by Western companies

Kiev continues fanning tensions by disrupting bilateral trade and economic ties, halting flights to Russia and cutting energy supplies to Crimea

MOSCOW, February 1. /TASS/. Ukraine’s economy is under control of Western companies, the head of Russia's Security Council, Nikolay Patrushev, told foreign journalists in an interview on Monday.

"The vector of development chosen by Kiev has in fact put Ukraine under external control. The country is losing its sovereignty and independence in the decision-making process in the domestic and foreign policy," Patrushev said.

"The country’s economy is already controlled by Western companies and the leading ministries are headed by foreigners who have obtained the Ukrainian citizenship," Russia’s top security official said.

Patrushev reminded that the United States and the European Union staged a state coup in Ukraine in February 2014 that brought to power "forces conducting anti-national and anti-Russian policy."

"Historically, one people lives in Russia and Ukraine that is divided now. The Ukrainians are now being convinced that the Russians are their deep-rooted enemies," Patrushev said.

"In Ukraine like in the fascist Germany, the far right nationalist ideology is being reinforced. The young people are educated upon textbooks saying that the whole history of Ukraine is the history of the fight for independence from Russia," he said.

Kiev continues fanning tensions by disrupting bilateral trade and economic ties, halting flights to Russia, cutting energy supplies to Crimea and undermining humanitarian ties between the Russians and Ukrainians placing the stake on the military solution to the intrastate contradictions, Patrushev said.