MOSCOW, May 03./ITAR-TASS/. After the tragic events in Odessa, it will be factually impossible for Russia and any other country to persuade people in the southeast of Ukraine to lay down arms, because there is a direct threat to their lives, Russian president’s press secretary Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

“From now on, Russia has factually lost its influence on these people, because it will be impossible to persuade them to lay down arms against the background of a direct threat to their life,” he said, stressing that under such circumstances no country is able to do this.

Peskov stressed that “unarmed people were burned alive” in Odessa.