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Developments in eastern Ukraine

Czechs, Slovaks forming own combat unit in eastern Ukraine — media

The Czech and Slovak foreign ministries said they had no such information whereas the countries’ security services refused to provide any comment

Militias AP Photo/Mstyslav Chernov

Militias

© AP Photo/Mstyslav Chernov

PRAGUE, June 10. /TASS/. The Czechs and Slovaks fighting for militias in eastern Ukraine are forming their own unit that will be part of the so-called international brigade of the 15th army, aktuality.sk said on Tuesday.

"The brigade has a big number of Czech and Slovak nationals. They are paid monthly allowances of about €340. They live in barracks and are armed with tanks and infantry combat vehicles," the internet portal said.

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The online edition of the Bratislava-based newspaper Pravda also said that the Czechs and Slovaks were forming a separate combat unit in Ukraine.

The Czech and Slovak foreign ministries however said they had no such information whereas the countries’ security services refused to provide any comment.

"Our service has information that several citizens who have left Slovakia within the past year are suspected of possible joining manifestations of radicalism [in eastern Ukraine - TASS]," Branislav Zvara, a spokesman for the Slovak Security Service told the newspaper refusing to provide further details.

"These adventurists are acting at their own discretion. They are contributing to further destabilization of the situation [in Ukraine - TASS], thus frustrating efforts to settle the conflict by diplomatic means and this way they infringe upon Slovakia’s foreign policy interests," Slovak Foreign Ministry Spokesman Peter Susko told the newspaper.

A spokesman for the Czech foreign ministry, David Frous, said he had no evidence "proving that Czech citizens are fighting in Ukraine."

According to Pravda, Slovak and Czech citizens fighting in eastern Ukraine are noted by their aggressiveness and care little which side to take.

Slovak and Czech citizens must have special permits from their heads of state to serve in foreign armies. Otherwise, they may be criminally persecuted and face a punishment of up to eight years in prison.

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Eastern Ukraine Czech Republic Slovakia

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