Lavrov suggests ‘hundreds’ of US troops are in Ukraine — RT Russia and the former Soviet Union

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that « hundreds » US military personnel are deployed in Ukraine, saying US soldiers, military advisers and intelligence officers have long been direct participants in the conflict.

Speaking to Russia’s Channel One for an interview on Wednesday, Lavrov spoke at length about Washington’s deep involvement in hostilities in Ukraine, which has grown steadily despite repeated assurances from US leaders that US personnel would not play no role in combat.

“Dozens, maybe even hundreds of American soldiers are in Ukraine, they were there even before the coup”, FM said, referring to the 2014 ousting of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych by nationalist formations and pro-Western activists. « CIA officers occupied at least one floor of the Security Service of Ukraine. »

Lavrov also claimed that the Kyiv-based US military attache had provided important advice to Ukrainian authorities, saying « Military specialists are obviously engaged not only in visits to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, but, of course, one way or another they provide direct advisory services, and perhaps even more than advisory services. »

He noted that a separate team of US specialists has traveled to Ukraine to monitor the flow of Western weapons to the country, created after US lawmakers demanded a more robust mechanism to track billions in lethal aid.

Given that « Ukraine is getting more and more better quality western weapons », FM said Russian forces were now drawing up plans to disrupt arms deliveries, adding that « Rail lines, bridges and tunnels » are seen as targets to « make these deliveries more difficult or, ideally, stop them altogether ».

Lavrov went on to say that Western states have declared « war » about Russia nearly a decade ago, shortly after the Euromaidan revolution of 2014, which was soon followed by US and NATO military support for the post-coup government.

« The collective West, which is led by a nuclear power – the United States – is at war with us », he said. « This war was declared on us quite a long time ago, after the coup in Ukraine orchestrated by the United States and, in fact, supported by the European Union. »

So far this year, Washington has authorized more than $20 billion in direct military aid to Ukraine, not including the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative and billions more in economic and humanitarian aid. US officials have indicated that these policies must continue, pledging to provide kyiv with as much aid as needed to « as long as it takes. »