Ukrainian Rebel Leader Says That There are 3,000 Russian ‘Volunteers’ Fighting With His Forces

August 28, 2014

Ukraine Rebel Leader Says Targeting Strategic Port

DONETSK Ukraine (Reuters) - Pro-Moscow rebel forces in Ukraine on Thursday gained a foothold on the Azov Sea and their objective is to fight their way down the coast to the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, the leader of the main separatist entity told Reuters.

Alexander Zakharchenko, prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, said in an interview that there were about 3,000 Russian volunteers serving in the rebel ranks.

He said that the rebels could defeat the Ukrainian military without the need for the Russian state to provide them with military support.