MOSCOW, December 9. /TASS/. The Kiev authorities are being used by the United States as a handy tool in a large-scale anti-Russian game, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said on Friday.

"The authorities in Kiev, which are under the outside control of the United States, have been prepared to play the role of a handy tool in the large-scale anti-Russian game," he said.

According to Ryabkov, the recent steps taken on behalf of the United States speak for themselves.

"We witness increased supplies of arms to the Kiev regime and the number of Western instructors and mercenaries also keep rising there," the diplomat added.

Developments in Ukraine

The situation along the line of engagement in Donbass escalated on February 17. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) reported the most massive bombardments by the Ukrainian military back then, which damaged civilian infrastructure and caused civilian casualties.

On February 21, President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow was recognizing the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. Russia signed agreements on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with their leaders. Moscow recognized the Donbass republics in accordance with the DPR and LPR constitutions within the boundaries of the Donetsk and Lugansk Regions as of the beginning of 2014.

Russian President Putin announced on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics for assistance he had decided to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine. The DPR and the LPR launched an operation to liberate their territories under Kiev’s control.