MOSCOW, February 27. /TASS/. Nine more Ukrainian border guards have gone over to Russia, a spokesman for Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) told TASS on Sunday.
"Ukrainian border guards, who are leaving their duty locations, continue to cross into Russia’s territory. On February 27, nine servicemen of the Ukrainian State Border Service, who refused to continue their service in Ukraine, crossed the Russian border in the Rostov region and the Republic of Crimea," the spokesman said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address on Thursday morning that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics he had made a decision to carry out a special military operation in order to protect people "who have been suffering from abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." The Russian leader stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories.
When clarifying the unfolding developments, the Russian Defense Ministry reassured that Russian troops are not targeting Ukrainian cities, but are limited to surgically striking and incapacitating Ukrainian military infrastructure. There are no threats whatsoever to the civilian population.
The FSB reported on February 24 that Ukrainian border guards were leaving their duty locations at the Ukrainian-Russian border. Forty-two Ukrainian border guards have already crossed the border into Russia in the Bryansk region and in Crimea.