Pyongyang, March 23 (Ministry of Foreign Affairs DPRK)   

[조선어] [English] [Русский] [中国语]

In the middle of a yet more frantic and reckless anti-Russia pressure campaign mounted by the U.S. and the West over the Ukrainian situation, President Putin, in recent video conference with the permanent members of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, condemned the West for its dispatch of mercenaries to Ukraine recruited from all over the world in defiance of all the norms of international law.

According to data, the West-recruited mercenaries including the convicts released from prison amount up to as many as 20,000.

The foreign mercenaries in Ukraine are reportedly assaulting Russian medical workers and their evacuation vehicles, and they even have no scruples about shooting indiscriminately the doctors tending to wounded soldiers and civilians.

The U.S. and the West also continue to scale up delivery of arms to Ukraine.

Recently, the U.S. made public its plan to provide Ukraine with arms worth US$ 800 million, and the State Department officially announced that it has delivered 800 anti-aircraft missiles, 9,000 portable anti-tank missiles, 7,000 small arms, 20 million shells and ammunition to Ukraine so far.

In this connection, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation warned that the vehicles mobilized for arms transportation would become the targets of the Russian armed forces saying that delivery of arms from the U.S. and the West is further aggravating the situation over Ukraine.

The U.S. is gathering together its allies to dispatch a large number of mercenaries to Ukraine and is providing Ukraine with huge military equipment. Its purpose is to weaken Russia and realize its strategy for world hegemony by driving Ukraine to a fight with Russia.

The international society, witnessing the grave situation resulted from the U.S., clearly understand who is the main culprit and the peace wrecker disturbing stability and inviting wars all over the world.