Russian FM Warns Efforts to Escalate Conflict in East Ukraine Could ’Destroy’ It

By Staff, Agencies

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned on Thursday that any effort to escalate the conflict in eastern Ukraine could eventually "destroy" the country.

The warning made a reference to an earlier threat from Russian President Vladimir Putin in an interview for the Bolshaya Igra ["The Great Game"] TV show.

The statement comes amid reports on an escalation in eastern Ukraine, where a low-intensity standoff has been simmering for years.

On March 26, the Ukrainian military said that four soldiers had been killed in a clash with Russia-backed separatists from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.

Kiev also accused Russia of building up its military presence on the border with Ukraine.

Moscow acknowledged the deadly skirmish. On Thursday, Dmitry Peskov declared that Russia has the right to reposition its troops as it saw fit and that troop movement was not meant as a threat to other states.