Ukraine conflict
Fear of the Russian invasion: Vitali Klitschko asks the federal government for help
Vitali Klitschko, former boxing professional and mayor of Kiev, is concerned about a possible attack by Russia
© Serg Glovny / ZUMA Wire / DPA
Fearing a Russian attack on Ukraine, Kiev’s mayor Vitali Klitschko has asked the new German government for help. The country urgently needs military support.
Vitali Klitschko, former boxing professional and currently mayor of the Ukrainian capital Kiev, has warned of a Russian invasion. “We are preparing all over Ukraine that Russian President Vladimir Putin could give the war order,” said Klitschko in a guest article in the “Bild” newspaper. “As a soldier, I once swore to defend the country, and I am now ready to fight for my motherland.” As mayor, he organizes the civil defense of the capital. His authorities have already stepped up the recruitment and training of reservists for the Territorial Defense Brigade.
Klitschko: “Need European support”
Klitschko urgently called for “international support and military aid” and made an appeal to Germany: “The new federal government must understand that aid has never been so important for our country.” Ukraine lies in the center of Europe on the border with several EU countries. “We are a European country that needs European support more than ever,” emphasized Klitschko. Russia has pulled tens of thousands of soldiers together on the border with Ukraine in recent weeks. This feeds fears in the West that an invasion of the Russian army in the neighboring country might be imminent. Moscow denies this and accuses the government in Kiev of provocations.
Moscow supports separatists in Ukraine
In eastern Ukraine, pro-Russian militias and the Ukrainian army have been fighting each other since 2014 after Russia annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. In the conflict, Moscow supports the separatists who have proclaimed so-called People’s Republics in Luhansk and Donetsk. More than 13,000 people have already been killed in the fighting.