"Strelok" gave interview
Published on Apr 27, 2014
Russian GRU officer Strelkov "Strelok" ("Shooter") was interviewed and showed his face
Strelkov stated that militias will destroy the Ukrainian troops if they will continue to fight against them.
The commander of a detachment of "self-defense" Slavic Igor Gunmen - Russian GRU officer - said the militias Slovyansk are volunteers, two thirds of them - Ukrainians.
Gunmen said about this in a video, released by Russian newspaper "Komsomolskaya Pravda".
"It's really a militia, heavily diluted by volunteers from other regions of Ukraine. Formed squad, with whom I came in Slavic, in the Crimea, I will not hide. Volunteer. But two-thirds - are citizens of Ukraine, and not even mainly Crimeans and refugees from other regions of Ukraine. There are people from Zhitomir, Vinnitsa, Kiev, "- said the Gunmen.
He also said that most of these militias has combat experience: "Many fought in the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces, including the citizens of Ukraine. Fought in Chechnya, and in Central Asia. There are people with experience of fighting in Iraq, Yugoslavia as part of Ukrainian Armed Forces
.Slavyansk Directorate of Internal Affairs, where he was seized "a sufficiently large number of firearms."
According Strelkova militias will destroy the Ukrainian military checkpoints and if they will continue to fight against the "militia Donbass".
"We understand that if we start to kill them - and these opportunities we have, and a lot of - we will kill their brothers .... This is our enemy already knew and enjoys it - introduce conscripts on a regular materiel, put checkpoint on He introduced fighters Right sector Natsgvardii, SBU, which under guard by paratroopers perform their duties, "- said a Russian officer.
Shooters added, "to fire at the extremists and mercenaries we can only incidentally destroying military Ukrainian army."
"While we do not want it to go. But if this situation continues, we will act accordingly differently," - said the Gunmen.
Recall SBU established the involvement of two Russian citizens - Lieutenant Igor Bezler who served in the GRU of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia, and Igor Strelkov (call sign - Archer) - in the murder of Gorlovka city council of the party Fatherland Volodymyr Rybak.
Both are wanted.
On small and Bezler criminal proceedings have commenced upon the organization of premeditated murder and committing acts against the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine, carrying out subversion and organizing mass unrest in the territory of eastern Ukraine.
Стрелков заявил, что ополченцы будут уничтожать украинских военнослужащих, если те будут продолжать бороться против них.
Командующий отрядом "самообороны" Славянска Игорь Стрелков -- офицер спецназа ГРУ России -- заявил, что участниками ополчения в Славянске являются добровольцы, две трети которых -- украинцы.
Об этом Стрелков заявил в видеоинтервью, обнародованном российским изданием "Комсомольская правда".
"Это действительно ополчение, сильно разбавленное добровольцами из других регионов Украины. Формировался отряд, с которым я пришел в Славянск, на территории Крыма, я не буду этого скрывать. Из добровольцев. Но две трети -- это граждане Украины, причем даже не крымчане в основном, а беженцы из других регионов Украины. Есть люди из Житомира, Винницы, Киева", - заявил Стрелков.
Также он сообщил, что большая часть из этих ополченцев имеет боевой опыт: "Многие воевали в рядах российских ВС, в т.ч. и граждане Украины. Воевали и в Чечне, и в Средней Азии. Есть люди с опытом боевых действий в Ираке, Югославии в составе украинских ВС.
Strelkov stated that militias will destroy the Ukrainian troops if they will continue to fight against them.
The commander of a detachment of "self-defense" Slavic Igor Gunmen - Russian GRU officer - said the militias Slovyansk are volunteers, two thirds of them - Ukrainians.
Gunmen said about this in a video, released by Russian newspaper "Komsomolskaya Pravda".
"It's really a militia, heavily diluted by volunteers from other regions of Ukraine. Formed squad, with whom I came in Slavic, in the Crimea, I will not hide. Volunteer. But two-thirds - are citizens of Ukraine, and not even mainly Crimeans and refugees from other regions of Ukraine. There are people from Zhitomir, Vinnitsa, Kiev, "- said the Gunmen.
He also said that most of these militias has combat experience: "Many fought in the ranks of the Russian Armed Forces, including the citizens of Ukraine. Fought in Chechnya, and in Central Asia. There are people with experience of fighting in Iraq, Yugoslavia as part of Ukrainian Armed Forces
.Slavyansk Directorate of Internal Affairs, where he was seized "a sufficiently large number of firearms."
According Strelkova militias will destroy the Ukrainian military checkpoints and if they will continue to fight against the "militia Donbass".
"We understand that if we start to kill them - and these opportunities we have, and a lot of - we will kill their brothers .... This is our enemy already knew and enjoys it - introduce conscripts on a regular materiel, put checkpoint on He introduced fighters Right sector Natsgvardii, SBU, which under guard by paratroopers perform their duties, "- said a Russian officer.
Shooters added, "to fire at the extremists and mercenaries we can only incidentally destroying military Ukrainian army."
"While we do not want it to go. But if this situation continues, we will act accordingly differently," - said the Gunmen.
Recall SBU established the involvement of two Russian citizens - Lieutenant Igor Bezler who served in the GRU of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Russia, and Igor Strelkov (call sign - Archer) - in the murder of Gorlovka city council of the party Fatherland Volodymyr Rybak.
Both are wanted.
On small and Bezler criminal proceedings have commenced upon the organization of premeditated murder and committing acts against the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine, carrying out subversion and organizing mass unrest in the territory of eastern Ukraine.
Стрелков заявил, что ополченцы будут уничтожать украинских военнослужащих, если те будут продолжать бороться против них.
Командующий отрядом "самообороны" Славянска Игорь Стрелков -- офицер спецназа ГРУ России -- заявил, что участниками ополчения в Славянске являются добровольцы, две трети которых -- украинцы.
Об этом Стрелков заявил в видеоинтервью, обнародованном российским изданием "Комсомольская правда".
"Это действительно ополчение, сильно разбавленное добровольцами из других регионов Украины. Формировался отряд, с которым я пришел в Славянск, на территории Крыма, я не буду этого скрывать. Из добровольцев. Но две трети -- это граждане Украины, причем даже не крымчане в основном, а беженцы из других регионов Украины. Есть люди из Житомира, Винницы, Киева", - заявил Стрелков.
Также он сообщил, что большая часть из этих ополченцев имеет боевой опыт: "Многие воевали в рядах российских ВС, в т.ч. и граждане Украины. Воевали и в Чечне, и в Средней Азии. Есть люди с опытом боевых действий в Ираке, Югославии в составе украинских ВС.
April 26, 2014 7:03 p.m. ET
Pro-Russian militants stand guard outside the Ukraine Security Service building on Saturday in Slovyansk, Ukraine.
The elusive commander of the pro-Russia militants who have seized the east Ukrainian city of Slovyansk has revealed himself for the first time since the crisis began, saying in a taped interviewthat his armed crew arrived in Ukraine's east from Crimea.
Igor Strelkov, the commander whom officials in Kiev have described as a Russian intelligence officer, gave a picture of the fighters he brought to Slovyansk, who since early April have transformed the city into the epicenter of eastern Ukraine's pro-Russia unrest. The new government in Kiev has described Slovyansk as the "most dangerous city in Ukraine."
"The unit that I came to Slovyansk with was put together in Crimea. I'm not going to hide that," Mr. Strelkov told the Moscow-based Komosomolskaya Pravda tabloid in a video interview released Saturday. "It was formed by volunteers—I would say half or two-thirds of them citizens of Ukraine."
The unit includes people from western and central Ukraine, as well as local fighters from the region itself, according to the commander. "Strictly speaking, it was by their invitation that the unit arrived in Slovyansk," he said.
Ukraine's State Security Agency had earlier described Mr. Strelkov as an active-duty officer of Russia's elite Main Intelligence Department. Mr. Strelkov didn't directly address the Russian reporter's question about possible Russian military-intelligence involvement in his mission. The commander also didn't speak about himself or his background. Moscow has denied its involvement in the unrest in eastern Ukraine.
Most of the men in the command possess war experience, including former service in the Russian or Ukrainian militaries and tours in Chechnya, Central Asia, the former Yugoslavia and Iraq, according to Mr. Strelkov. He said some "even managed to visit" Syria.
The slim, middle-aged commander with a trimmed mustache has risen to become one of the most important figures in the rebellion in Ukraine's east, emerging as the de facto military leader of a pro-Russia uprising that has threatened to split the country. His tight operation of highly skilled militants offers a serious challenge to the new pro-Europe authorities in Kiev, which toppled Kremlin-backedPresident Viktor Yanukovych in late February after months of street protests but inherited a Ukrainian military in disarray and millions of eastern Ukrainians who view their government as anathema.
A pro-Russian militant stands guard outside the Ukraine Security Service building on Saturday in Slovyansk. Getty Images
Throughout the interview, Mr. Strelkov spoke in a calm, low voice, avoiding the heated anti-Western rhetoric of the rebel group's other leaders. He seemed most comfortable describing minute military details and tactics of his team. He couldn't immediately be reached for comment.
His interview filled in gaps about a man whom Ukrainian security officials have presented as the key force behind the unrest. Mr. Strelkov said his unit's weapons came partly from police facilities they took over in Slovyansk. His unit also stripped arms and vehicles from Ukrainian forces it repelled when they tried to enter the area earlier this month. Mr. Strelkov said the military hardware his unit gained included about 150 automatic weapons, a few grenade launchers and six infantry combat vehicles.
"Russia so far hasn't supplied us with a single machine gun or bullet," he said. "Everything was gifted to us by the Ukrainian military and police."
Mr. Strelkov said his militants enjoy the full support of the population in the Donetsk region, alleging that about 80% of locals would like to break off and become part of Russia.
A poll this month conducted by the Kiev International Institute of Sociology, however, found that 27.5% of respondents in the Donetsk region support breaking off and joining Russia. Though 72.1% of respondents said they believe the new Ukrainian government is illegal.
Many Ukrainians are under the incorrect impression the pro-Russian militants are savage mercenaries being paid 1,000 hryvnia ($88) a day, Mr. Strelkov said.
"Of course that is not the case," Mr. Strelkov said. "The people of Donetsk have risen up against the junta."
But the militants aren't entirely united. Mr. Strelkov hit out at his counterparts, who have seized the main administration building in the regional capital of Donetsk, 110 kilometers (68 miles) south of Slovyansk, and declared themselves the leaders of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic.
Mr. Strelkov's militants in Slovyansk have "many grievances with the leadership of the Donetsk People's Republic, who haven't been able to do anything beyond seizing the administration building," the commander said. As a result, his unit has presented demands to its counterparts in Donetsk. Despite their differences, they are both calling for a referendum on the region's future.
"There's a lot of anarchy, but we will all unite," Mr. Strelkov said. "It's not a quick process."
The commander accused the Ukrainian forces of unleashing provocateurs from the radical Right Sector nationalist group and the Ukrainian National Guard against the militants. "We don't want to shoot our brothers, but if this situation continues going forward, we will act differently," Mr. Strelkov said.
He suggested his militants had been kind so far. They had the opportunity to blow up Ukrainian helicopters carrying soldiers at the nearby Kramatorsk airport, but instead targeted just one helicopter Friday filled with ammunition and manned only by a skeleton crew, he said. No one appears to have died in the attack.
Many Ukrainian officials have said they believe the militants in the southeast could be operating in conjunction with Mr. Yanukovych's exiled inner circle, a group of top officials from the Donetsk area who for years tightly controlled the southeast industrial region. Since fleeing to Russia, those officials have pledged to defy the new government in Kiev and return to the country. Ukrainian officials haven't presented any firm evidence of the clan's involvement in the unrest in the east.
Mr. Strelkov, however, presented his fellow fighters not as paid mercenaries but as volunteers and veterans acting on their own volition. Asked about the goal of his group, Mr. Strelkov described a divide between the locals and the non-locals. He said the locals want to make sure the Donetsk region doesn't depend on the new "junta" in Kiev. But he said the other fighters arrived with broader, more lofty aims.
"The motivation of those who arrived with me [from Crimea] and joined up is broader," Mr. Strelkov said. "They say: 'We don't want to stop with that accomplishment. We want to go further and free Ukraine from the fascists.'"
The know-how and loyalty of the loose network of military veterans, including those who served during Moscow's war in Afghanistan, has become an important part of the operation in Slovyansk.
"They formed the center from which ripples spread in all directions," said Evgeny Gubrik, one of the commanders of the militia that seized the city who now occupy the redbrick headquarters of Ukrainian State Security Service downtown.
An ethnic Russian who lives in eastern Ukraine, Mr. Gubrik had fought in Moldova in the early 1990s when the breakup of the Soviet Union prompted Russia to intervene militarily on behalf of a breakaway state called Transnistria, where Russian troops remain stationed.
Then Mr. Gubrik retired from active duty and returned home, where he ran a small construction firm profitable enough to allow him to buy his wife a new car every time she had a baby, he says. They now have four children. Though a Ukrainian citizen, he is loyal to Russia and nostalgic for the Soviet Union, and said he has no qualms about leaving his business behind, putting on a camouflage uniform and joining the rebellion in Slovyansk.
Mr. Gubrik and others in Slovyansk said the core of the forces is formed by many fighters with similar military backgrounds. Another prominent veteran is Vyacheslav Ponomaryav, Slovyansk's self-proclaimed mayor who says he served in unspecified Russian "special operations."
"This is a community of people nostalgic for the Soviet past, a patriotic community," Mr. Gubrik said. He spoke to The Wall Street Journal in front of the occupied state-security building which the pro-Russia militants have turned into a makeshift jail for those they deem to be spies, unfriendly journalists or pro-Kiev activists. "We now stand at the beginning of a Russian millennial renaissance."
Exactly who runs this network of Russian military veterans is a matter of dispute. The veterans themselves say they are volunteers fired up by Russian loyalty in eastern Ukraine. But Ukrainian intelligence says their ranks include active-duty Russian military-intelligence officers who have organized and coordinated parts of the rebellion.
The department, known as GRU by its Russian acronym, has a long history of covert military action in Soviet and Russian wars. It is perhaps most famous for the 1979 overthrow and assassination of an Afghan president that paved the way for the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Moscow deemed the then-Afghan leader unfriendly to Soviet interests and too intent on closer ties with the West.
"From the geopolitical standpoint, it's very important for our country, which borders Afghanistan, to have a friendly and loyal government there, which wouldn't allow our neighboring state to fall into the sphere of influence of one of the NATO countries," said Vasily Kolesnik, a former GRU commander, about the Afghan assignment in his memoirs.
Russia has denied the unit's involvement in Ukraine's eastern unrest. "We do not interfere in Ukraine's internal affairs; it contradicts our interests," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said last week. "We don't have agents there, no GRU and no FSB."
A man also named Igor Strelkov, working with an elite intelligence regiment of Russian paratroopers, had been involved in a 2001 "kidnapping" of a Chechen man during the Russian war in the breakaway republic, according to Chechnya's human rights ombudsman's website, which said the incident occurred near the village of Khattuni. It couldn't be determined if it was the same Mr. Strelkov.
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U.S. President Barack Obama says the U.S. and Europe must act together in levying sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine that he says threaten that country's independence and sovereignty.
The president, speaking Sunday in Malaysia, said the U.S. and Europe must act collectively, showing Russia the world is united in initiating sanctions.
Mr. Obama said a deal had been reached with Russia to de-escalate the crisis, but "Russia has not lifted a finger to help."
On Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called for Russian support "without preconditions" for efforts to free European monitors seized Friday by pro-Russian gunmen in eastern Ukraine.
A senior State Department official said Kerry delivered his demand in a telephone call to Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. Moscow later said it is taking what it called "all measures to resolve the situation," but blamed Ukrainian authorities for failing to secure the safety of the team.
Near the eastern city of Slovyansk, separatists on Friday seized a bus carrying more than a dozen people from the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe .
The German-led monitoring team was acting under the authority of a four-party agreement directing the OSCE to monitor security and human rights in Ukraine's Russian-speaking east and south. The deal, reached in Geneva, was signed by Russia, Ukraine, the United States and the European Union.
Separately, interim Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told reporters Saturday that Russian aircraft had violated Ukrainian airspace seven times overnight.
For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry said its "objective monitoring of the air situation" had not detected any overflight violations.
Meanwhile, in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, VOA correspondent Brian Padden says he was confronted by an angry mob Saturday as he tried to cover a rally in front of an occupied building. He says protesters accused him of supporting a "fascist" U.S. government.
Armed pro-Russian gunmen have seized government facilities in about 10 cities in eastern and southern Ukraine, and are demanding a referendum on whether to secede from the country and join Russia.
In a joint statement late Friday, the Group of Seven major economies announced it had agreed to "move swiftly" on new sanctions against Russia because of its alleged interference in Ukraine.
The G-7 nations said they would take measures to intensify "targeted sanctions" against Moscow. A U.S. official said the penalties could take effect as early as Monday.
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
The president, speaking Sunday in Malaysia, said the U.S. and Europe must act collectively, showing Russia the world is united in initiating sanctions.
Mr. Obama said a deal had been reached with Russia to de-escalate the crisis, but "Russia has not lifted a finger to help."
On Saturday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called for Russian support "without preconditions" for efforts to free European monitors seized Friday by pro-Russian gunmen in eastern Ukraine.
A senior State Department official said Kerry delivered his demand in a telephone call to Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. Moscow later said it is taking what it called "all measures to resolve the situation," but blamed Ukrainian authorities for failing to secure the safety of the team.
Near the eastern city of Slovyansk, separatists on Friday seized a bus carrying more than a dozen people from the Vienna-based Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe .
The German-led monitoring team was acting under the authority of a four-party agreement directing the OSCE to monitor security and human rights in Ukraine's Russian-speaking east and south. The deal, reached in Geneva, was signed by Russia, Ukraine, the United States and the European Union.
Separately, interim Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told reporters Saturday that Russian aircraft had violated Ukrainian airspace seven times overnight.
For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry said its "objective monitoring of the air situation" had not detected any overflight violations.
Meanwhile, in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, VOA correspondent Brian Padden says he was confronted by an angry mob Saturday as he tried to cover a rally in front of an occupied building. He says protesters accused him of supporting a "fascist" U.S. government.
Armed pro-Russian gunmen have seized government facilities in about 10 cities in eastern and southern Ukraine, and are demanding a referendum on whether to secede from the country and join Russia.
In a joint statement late Friday, the Group of Seven major economies announced it had agreed to "move swiftly" on new sanctions against Russia because of its alleged interference in Ukraine.
The G-7 nations said they would take measures to intensify "targeted sanctions" against Moscow. A U.S. official said the penalties could take effect as early as Monday.
Some information for this report provided by AP, AFP and Reuters.
US secretary of state John Kerry has urged Russia to support efforts to free military observers held by pro-Moscow forces in Ukraine.
Mr Kerry also told Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov in a phone call that the United States was concerned that Moscow’s actions were “undermining stability, security and unity” in Ukraine.
The US State Department said Mr Kerry cited Russia’s “provocative” troop movements along the border, Moscow’s support for separatists and its “inflammatory rhetoric”.
Mr Kerry also wants Russia to support - and not “denigrate” - Ukraine’s effort to stabilise the country.
Pro-Russian rebels accuse the German-led team of military observers of being Nato spies.
The US and the world’s other leading industrial powers say they are planning more economic penalties against Russia because of Moscow’s actions in Ukraine.
The observers were travelling under the auspices of the Organisation of Security and Co-operation in Europe when they were detained in the city of Slovyansk on Friday.
Vyacheslav Ponomarev, the self-proclaimed “people’s mayor” of Slovyansk, described them as “captives” and said that they were officers from Nato member states.
“As we found maps on them containing information about the location of our checkpoints, we get the impression that they are officers carrying out a certain spying mission,” he said, adding they could be released in exchange for jailed pro-Russian activists.
Tim Guldimann, the OSCE’s special envoy for Ukraine, told German public radio WDR “efforts are being made to solve this issue”. He declined to elaborate.
German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier also called Mr Lavrov to press for the release of the observers.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said it was taking “all measures to resolve the situation”, but blamed the authorities in Kiev for failing to secure the safety of the team.
Outside Slovyansk, 150km west of Russia, Ukraine government forces has continued operations to form a security cordon as it attempts to quell unrest threatening to derail the planned May 25th presidential election.
The US and other nations in the Group of Seven have said they plan to impose additional economic sanctions on Russia in response to its actions in Ukraine. The West has accused Russia of using covert forces to encourage unrest in Ukraine and says Moscow has done nothing to pressure pro-Russian militias to free police stations and government buildings in at least 10 cities across the region.
Condemning Russia’s earlier annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea Peninsula, the G7 said: “We will now follow through on the full legal and practical consequences of this illegal annexation, including but not limited to the economic, trade and financial areas.”
US vice president Joe Biden tried to keep building support for sanctions during phone calls to the prime ministers of Hungary and the Czech Republic.
The European Union is also planning more sanctions and ambassadors from the union’s 28 member states will meet in Brussels tomorrow to add to the list of Russian officials and pro-Russian leaders in Ukraine that have been hit with asset freezes and a travel ban.
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KUALA LUMPUR/SLAVIANSK, Ukraine (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama on Sunday said the United States and Europe must join forces to impose sanctions on Russia to stop it destabilizing Ukraine, where armed pro-Russian separatists were for a third day holding eight international observers prisoner.
Washington and Brussels are expected, possibly as early as Monday, to name new people and firms close to Russian President Vladimir Putin who will be hit by punitive measures, but there is no consensus yet on wider economic sanctions.
Speaking during a visit to Malaysia, Obama said any decision on whether to slap sanctions on sectors of the Russian economy at a later time would depend on whether the United States and its allies could find a unified position on how to proceed.
"We're going to be in a stronger position to deter Mr. Putin when he sees that the world is unified and the United States and Europe is unified rather than this is just a U.S.-Russian conflict," Obama told reporters.
The stand-off over Ukraine, an ex-Soviet republic of about 45 million people, has dragged relations between Russia and the West to their lowest level since the end of the Cold War.
Obama said Russia had not "lifted a finger" to get pro-Russian separatist rebels in Ukraine to comply with an international agreement to defuse the crisis.
"In fact, there's strong evidence that they've been encouraging the activities in eastern and southern Ukraine," he said.
Washington is more hawkish on further sanctions than Brussels, and this has caused a degree of impatience among some U.S. officials with the European response.
Many European countries are worried about the risks of imposing tougher sanctions, not least because Europe has extensive business ties with Moscow and imports about a quarter of its natural gas from Russia.
The head of German engineering giant Siemens, which exports to Russia, said on the sidelines of a meeting of conservative politicians in Bavaria that if sanctions were the only option he would back them, but he would prefer negotiation.
"I am still of the view that you have to talk with each other, not over each other," said chief executive Joe Kaeser.
PRISONERS
Since Ukrainians demanding closer links with Europe toppled their pro-Russian president in February, Russia has annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula and massed tens of thousands of troops on the country's eastern border. NATO has responded by sending reinforcements to eastern Europe.
The Western-backed government in Kiev accuses the Kremlin of planning to invade the east of Ukraine, and of preparing the ground by training and supporting the armed separatists who have seized about a dozen public buildings around the region.
Moscow denies interfering. It says Ukraine's east is rising up in a spontaneous protest against what it calls an illegitimate government in Kiev which is mounting a "criminal" operation to suppress dissent.
Separatists who control the eastern Ukrainian city of Slaviansk are holding eight European observers who were in the area under the auspices of the Vienna-based Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
The observers, from Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Poland and the Czech Republic, are accused by their captors of spying for NATO and using the OSCE mission as a cover.
Vyacheslav Ponomaryov, de facto mayor of Slaviansk, told reporters on Saturday: "They were soldiers on our territory without our permission. Of course they are prisoners."
He said the separatists were ready to exchange the captured monitors for fellow rebels now in the custody of the Ukrainian authorities.
"Prisoners have always been coins to exchange during times of war. It's an international practice," he said.
European capitals condemned the detention of the observers and issued demands for them to be released immediately. In Kiev, the government said one of the group was ill and needed urgent medical attention.
The OSCE sent more observers on Saturday to seek the release of those detained in Slaviansk, but there was no word on whether that mission had made contact with the rebels. Russia, an OSCE member, said it would do what it could to help get the observers released.
DIPLOMACY AND TROOPS
On Saturday, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier spoke by telephone with Sergei Lavrov, his Russian opposite number, about possible diplomatic steps to defuse the crisis.
There was no word what these might be. Two previous attempts to negotiate a way out of the stand-off - in Kiev in February and in Geneva earlier this month - produced fragile deals which were then overtaken by events on the ground.
The diplomatic discussions were taking place against a backdrop of growing military tensions.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk said Russian military aircraft entered Ukrainian airspace seven times between Friday night and Saturday morning.
"The only reason is to provoke Ukraine ... and to accuse Ukraine of waging war against Russia," the prime minister told reporters before cutting short a visit to Rome, where he met Pope Francis and asked him to pray for Ukraine.
In a bid to reassure nervous NATO allies on Russia's western flank, Washington deployed 150 paratroopers to Lithuania on Saturday. A total of 600 U.S. troops have now arrived in Poland and the former Soviet Baltic states.
"As threats emerged, we see who our real friends are," Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite said as she greeted the troops at the Siauliai air base.
Russia has threatened to cut off gas to Ukraine, which would have a knock-on effect on customers further west because many pipelines transit the country.
Slovakia said on Saturday it had reached an agreement with Ukraine on opening up limited reverse flows of natural gas from central Europe to Ukraine.
(Additional reporting by Maria Tsvetkova in Donetsk, Ukraine, Natalia Zinets in Kiev, Nigel Stephensonand Lidia Kelly in Moscow and Andrius Sytas in Vilnius; Writing by Christian Lowe; Editing by Giles Elgood)
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Relatives and friends of a man killed in a gunfight participate in his funeral ceremony in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slavyansk on Saturday, April 26. Ukraine has seen a sharp rise in tensions since a new pro-European government took charge of the country in February.
U.S. troops arrive at the air force base near Siauliai Zuokniai, Lithuania, on April 26. The United States is conducting military exercises in Poland, Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania. The exercises are, in part, a response to the ongoing instability in Ukraine.
Ukrainian government troops in armored personal carriers travel on a country road outside the town of Svyitohirsk near Slavyansk in eastern Ukraine on April 26. Two tortured bodies have been found near Slavyansk, one of which was pro-Kiev politician Vladimir Rybak, who Ukraine's Interior Ministry said Wednesday died as a result of injuries from torture and drowning.
Pro-Russian armed militants inspect a truck near Slavyansk on Friday, April 25. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused the West of plotting to control Ukraine and said the pro-Russian insurgents in the southeast would lay down their arms only if the Ukrainian government clears out the Maidan protest camp in the capital, Kiev.
Pro-Russian militants keep records of their duty at the barricades in Slavyansk, eastern Ukraine, April 25.
Ukrainian troops take position near burning tires at a pro-Russian checkpoint in Slavyansk following an attack by Ukrainian soldiers on Thursday, April 24.
Ukrainian special forces take position at an abandoned roadblock in Slavyansk on April 24.
A Ukrainian special forces member takes position in Slavyansk.
Cossacks carry a coffin into a church in Slavyansk on Tuesday, April 22, during a funeral for men killed in a gunfight at a checkpoint two days before.
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden talks with Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk during a meeting in Kiev, Ukraine, on April 22.
An armed pro-Russian man stands on a street in Slavyansk on Monday, April 21.
Demonstrators attend a pro-Russian rally outside the secret service building in Lugansk, Ukraine, on April 21.
Cars are burned out after an attack at a roadblock in Slavyansk on Sunday, April 20.
A resident inspects burnt-out cars at the roadblock on April 20.
A pro-Russian militant is seen at the roadblock near Slavyansk on April 20.
Armed pro-Russian militants stand guard at the roadblock near Slavyansk on April 20.
A masked man stands guard outside a regional administration building seized by pro-Russian separatists in Slavyansk, Ukraine, on Friday, April 18.
People walk around barricades April 18 set up at the regional administration building seized earlier in Donetsk, Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks to the media after a nationally televised question-and-answer session in Moscow on Thursday, April 17. Putin denied that Russian forces are involved in the unrest in eastern Ukraine, though he did admit for the first time that Russians were active in Crimea before the peninsula voted to join the country.
Ukrainian riot police officers stand guard during a pro-Ukrainian demonstration in Donetsk on April 17.
Masked pro-Russian protesters stand guard in front of the city hall in Mariupol, Ukraine, on April 17.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reaches out to shake hands with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the start of a bilateral meeting to discuss the ongoing situation in Ukraine. The meeting took place April 17 in Geneva, Switzerland.
A masked gunman stands guard near tanks in Slavyansk, Ukraine, on Wednesday, April 16.
A Ukrainian helicopter flies over a column of Ukrainian Army combat vehicles on the way to Kramatorsk, a city in eastern Ukraine, on April 16.
A masked pro-Russian gunman guards combat vehicles parked in downtown Slavyansk on April 16.
A man talks with Ukrainian soldiers as they are blocked by people on their way to Kramatorsk.
Ukrainian soldiers sit atop combat vehicles on their way to Kramatorsk.
Ukrainian Gen. Vasily Krutov is surrounded by protesters after addressing the crowd outside an airfield in Kramatorsk on Tuesday, April 15.
Pro-Russian activists guard a barricade April 15 outside the regional police building that they seized in Slavyansk.
Ukrainian troops receive munitions at a field on the outskirts of Izium, Ukraine, on April 15.
Armed pro-Russian activists stand guard on top of a Ukrainian regional administration building in Slavyansk on Monday, April 14.
A pro-Russian activist carries a shield during the mass storming of a police station in Horlivka, Ukraine, on April 14.
Russian supporters attend a rally in front of the security service building occupied by pro-Russian activists in Luhansk, Ukraine, on April 14.
A man places a Russian flag over a police station after storming the building in Horlivka on April 14.
Men besiege the police station in Horlivka.
The Horlivka police station burns on April 14.
A Ukrainian police officer receives medical care after being attacked at the police station in Horlivka on April 14.
Pro-Russian supporters beat a pro-Ukrainian activist during a rally in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Sunday, April 13.
Pro-Russian activists escort a man outside the secret service building in Luhansk on April 13.
Pro-Russian protesters guard a barricade in Slavyansk on April 13 outside a regional police building seized by armed separatists the day before.
Armed pro-Russian activists carrying riot shields occupy a police station in Slavyansk on April 12.
A group of pro-Russian activists warm themselves by a fire Friday, April 11, in front of a Ukrainian Security Service office in Luhansk.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk speaks April 11 during his meeting with regional leaders in Donetsk, Ukraine. Yatsenyuk flew into Donetsk, where pro-Russian separatists occupied the regional administration building and called for a referendum.
Pro-Russian young men look over the fence of a military recruitment office in Donetsk on Thursday, April 10.
Armed pro-Russian protesters occupy the Security Service building in Luhansk on April 10.
Members of the self-proclaimed government the "Donetsk Republic" vote April 10 during a meeting at the seized regional administration building in Donetsk.
Ukrainian lawmakers from different parties scuffle during a Parliament session in Kiev, Ukraine, on Tuesday, April 8.
Workers clean up on April 8 after pro-Russian separatists and police clashed overnight in Kharkiv.
Pro-Russian protesters burn tires near a regional administration building in Kharkiv after police cleared the building on Monday, April 7.
A masked man stands on top of a barricade at the regional administration building in Donetsk on April 7.
Protesters wave a Russian flag as they storm the regional administration building in Donetsk on Sunday, April 6. Protesters seized state buildings in several east Ukrainian cities, prompting accusations from Kiev that Moscow is trying to "dismember" the country.
Pro-Russian protesters clash with police as they try to occupy a regional administration building in Donetsk on April 6.
Pro-Russian activists hold a rally in front of a Ukrainian Security Service office in Luhansk on April 6.
A young demonstrator with his mouth covered by a Russian flag attends a pro-Russia rally outside the regional government administration building in Donetsk on Saturday, April 5.
A Ukrainian soldier guards a road not far from Prokhody, a village near the Russian border, on April 5. Ukrainian and Western officials have voiced alarm about Russia's reported military buildup on Ukraine's eastern border.
Ukrainian cadets at the Higher Naval School embrace a friend who has decided to stay in the school during a departure ceremony in Sevastopol, Crimea, on Friday, April 4. Some 120 cadets who refused to take Russian citizenship left the school to return to Ukraine.
Soviet military veterans take part in a flower-laying ceremony at the Soviet-era World War II memorial in Sevastopol on Thursday, April 3.
Ukrainian soldiers conduct a training session on the Desna military shooting range northeast of Kiev on Wednesday, April 2.
Russian soldiers prepare for diving training in front of a Tarantul-III class missile boat Tuesday, April 1, in Sevastopol.
People pass by barricades near the Dnipro Hotel in Kiev on April 1.
People walk past a train loaded with Russian tanks Monday, March 31, in the Gvardeyskoe railway station near Simferopol, Crimea.
A Russian solder sits in a tank at the Ostryakovo railway station, not far from Simferopol on March 31.
Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev speaks about the economic development of Crimea during a meeting March 31 in Simferopol.
Members of the Ukrainian National Guard take part in military exercises on a shooting range near Kiev on March 31.
A woman cries Sunday, March 30, during a gathering to honor those who were killed during protests in Kiev's Independence Square.
A woman and child walk past a line of police officers during a rally in Kharkiv on March 30.
Ukrainian soldiers take part in a training exercise at a military base in Donetsk on Saturday, March 29.
Demonstrators protest Friday, March 28, in Kiev, displaying police vehicles they seized during earlier clashes with authorities.
Members of the Right Sector group block the Ukrainian parliament building in Kiev on Thursday, March 27. Activists called for Interior Minister Arsen Avakov to step down after the recent killing of radical nationalist leader Oleksandr Muzychko, who died during a police operation to detain him. Muzychko and the Right Sector are credited with playing a lead role in the protests that toppled Ukrainian President Victor Yanukovych.
Ukrainian tanks are transported from their base in Perevalne, Crimea, on Wednesday, March 26. After Russian troops seized most of Ukraine's bases in Crimea, interim Ukrainian President Oleksandr Turchynov ordered the withdrawal of armed forces from the Black Sea peninsula, citing Russian threats to the lives of military staff and their families.
Ukrainian marines wave as they leave a base in Feodosia, Crimea, on Tuesday, March 25.
Russian sailors stand on the deck of the corvette ship Suzdalets in the bay of Sevastopol on March 25.
Pro-Russian militia members remove a resident as Russian troops assault the Belbek air base, outside Sevastopol, on Saturday, March 22. After its annexation of Crimea, Russian forces have consolidated their control of the region.
Soldiers in unmarked uniforms sit atop an armored personnel carrier at the gate of the Belbek air base on March 22.
A Russian sailor holds the Russian Navy's St. Andrew's flag while standing on the bow of the surrendered Ukrainian submarine Zaporozhye on March 22 in Sevastopol.
Russian President Vladimir Putin signs the final decree completing the annexation of Crimea on Friday, March 21, as Upper House Speaker Valentina Matviyenko, left, and State Duma Speaker Sergei Naryshkin watch.
A Ukrainian serviceman leaves a Ukrainian military unit that Russian soldiers took control of in Perevalne on March 21.
Ukrainian border guards run during training at a military camp in Alekseyevka, Ukraine, on March 21.
Russian soldiers patrol the area surrounding a Ukrainian military unit in Perevalne on Thursday, March 20.
Pro-Russian protesters remove the gate to the Ukrainian navy headquarters as Russian troops stand guard in Sevastopol on Wednesday, March 19.
Pro-Russian forces walk inside the Ukrainian navy headquarters in Sevastopol on March 19.
A member of pro-Russian forces takes down a Ukrainian flag at the Ukrainian navy headquarters in Sevastopol on March 19.
Alexander Vitko, chief of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, leaves the Ukrainian navy headquarters in Sevastopol after pro-Russian forces took it over on March 19.
A Russian flag waves as workers install a new sign on a parliament building in Simferopol, Crimea's capital, on March 19.
Russian military personnel surround a Ukrainian military base in Perevalne on March 19.
Nameplates on the front of the Crimean parliament building get removed Tuesday, March 18, in Simferopol.
From left, Crimean Prime Minister Sergey Aksyonov; Vladimir Konstantinov, speaker of the Crimean parliament; Russian President Vladimir Putin; and Alexei Chaly, the new de facto mayor of Sevastopol, join hands in Moscow on March 18 after signing a treaty to make Crimea part of Russia.
Demonstrators hold a Crimean flag at Lenin Square in Simferopol on March 18.
Ukrainian soldiers stand guard at a checkpoint near Strilkove, Ukraine, close to Crimea on Monday, March 17.
Former boxer and Ukrainian politician Vitali Klitschko addresses reporters in Kiev on March 17.
Ukrainian troops stand guard in front of the Ukrainian Parliament building in Kiev on March 17.
A Ukrainian man applies for the National Guard at a mobile recruitment center in Kiev on March 17.
Civilians walk past riot police in Simferopol on March 17.
A Ukrainian soldier stands on top of an armored vehicle at a military camp near the village of Michurino, Ukraine, on March 17.
Policemen stand guard outside the regional state administration building in Donetsk during a rally by pro-Russia activists March 17.
Armed soldiers stand guard outside a Ukrainian military base in Perevalne on March 17.
A man holds a Crimean flag as he stands in front of the Crimean parliament building in Simferopol on March 17.
Crimeans holding Russian flags celebrate in front of the parliament building in Simferopol on Sunday, March 16.
A Ukrainian police officer tries to shield himself from a road block thrown by pro-Russia supporters in Kharkiv on March 16.
Pro-Russia demonstrators storm the prosecutor general's office during a rally in Donetsk on March 16.
A woman leaves a voting booth in Sevastopol on March 16. See the crisis in Ukraine before Crimea voted
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STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- NEW: Obama wants to avoid the perception that the U.S. is trying to wrest Ukraine from Moscow
- Russian state news says 15,000 Ukrainian troops in eastern Ukraine
- Self-declared mayor of Slavyansk says diabetic hostage has the medicine he needs
- Ukraine's Security Service says OSCE team is being held in "inhumane conditions"
Kiev, Ukraine (CNN) -- The world must unite to show Russia its disapproval of its actions in Ukraine, U.S. President Barack Obama said Sunday.
Rather than going with sanctions alone and making it a United States vs. Russia issue, "it's important for us to make sure that we're part of an international coalition in sending that message and Russia is isolated, rather than (the perception that) the U.S. is trying to pull Ukraine out of his orbit," he said speaking from Malaysia, where he is on a diplomatic visit.
"Russia has not lifted a finger to help -- in fact, there's strong evidence that they've been encouraging the kinds of activities that have taken place," the president said, referring to the actions of armed pro-Russian protesters.
A perilous face-off intensified Saturday when Russia state news complained that Ukraine had mobilized 15,000 troops in the suburbs of Slavyansk in eastern Ukraine "in order to wipe out the city and its residents."
Quoting a Russian Defense Ministry source, RIA Novosti said satellite photos showed the force forming around the city that has become a friction point between the Ukraine military and pro-Russian militants.
The Defense Ministry source said the number of Ukraine troops put the pro-Russian militants at a disadvantage because the latter are "armed only with small amount of pistols and shotguns." Many eastern Ukraine residents have Russian roots and sympathize with Moscow.
The source said the photos showed about 160 tanks, 230 infantry combat vehicles and armored personnel carriers, mine throwers and multiple-launch rocket systems.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly criticized Kiev's use of force against Ukrainian civilians.
Developments in Ukraine have come at a rapid pace in recent days:
-- Russia, which already had 40,000 troops on its side of the border, started new military drills a few days ago after Ukrainian forces said they killed five pro-Russian militants. Ukraine launched the second stage of an "anti-terrorist operation" against militants in Slavyansk.
-- On Friday, a team of European and Ukrainian military observers were seized Friday by pro-Russian separatists in Slavyansk.
-- Russian military aircraft "crossed and violated" Ukrainian airspace seven times overnight, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk told reporters in Rome on Saturday. The Russian Defense Ministry denied the accusation, according to the state news agency Itar-Tass.
-- Yatsenyuk met with Pope Francis while in Rome on Saturday. The meeting has been seen as a sigh of support from the Vatican for his government.
-- G7 leaders said they would impose new sanctions on Russia over its role in the crisis.
The Ukrainian prime minister urged Russia to pull back its security forces and not to support pro-Russian militants in eastern and southern Ukraine. "We urge Russia to leave us alone," he said in televised remarks.
Ukraine's government has promised constitutional reforms and protections for Russian speakers in a bid to ease the tensions in its eastern regions.
Inspectors seized in Slavyansk
On Saturday, the fate of the military inspectors preoccupied world leaders.
The inspectors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe were detained Friday as they entered Slavyansk, along with five Ukrainian military representatives and the driver of their bus, Ukraine's Interior Ministry said.
Ukraine's Security Service, the SBU, said the group is being kept under "inhumane conditions" in the basement of a building held by the militants.
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The self-declared mayor of Slavyansk, Vyacheslav Ponomarev, told reporters that one of the "prisoners" has diabetes, but he has the medicine he needs and will be given his own quarters overnight.
Separatist leader Denis Pushilin, self-declared chairman of the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic," told CNN he doesn't believe they are from the OSCE, but that some are NATO spies.
The German Foreign Office said it had set up an emergency task force to find out what has happened to the team members, four of whom are German. The others are from Denmark, Poland, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic, Russian state media said.
The OSCE mission in Ukraine is tasked with helping to implement an international agreement signed nine days ago in Switzerland, which called for illegal militia groups to disarm and leave occupied buildings, among other provisions.
In a phone call with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asked the United States to use its influence to secure the release of pro-Russian leaders being held in Ukraine.
Kerry urged Russia to support efforts of the OSCE and the government of Ukraine to liberate the inspectors and their Ukrainian guides, according to a senior State Department official.
Targeted sanctions
Against the backdrop of increasing volatility in Ukraine, leaders of the G7 industrialized nations on Friday announced they would "move swiftly to impose additional sanctions on Russia" over its actions in Ukraine.
The statement from the group -- which includes Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States -- came hours after U.S. President Barack Obama threatened Russia with new sanctions.
CNN's Gul Tuysuz reported from Kiev and Laura Smith-Spark wrote and reported from London. CNN's Andrew Carey and Nick Paton Walsh in Slavyansk and journalist Victoria Butenko in Kiev contributed to this report. CNN's Alex Felton, Bharati Naik, Ben Brumfield and Boriana Milanova also contributed.
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