WASHINGTON, April 11 (RIA Novosti), Petr Martynychev – Claims that a private US security company has sent mercenaries to Ukraine are untrue, US Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland has said.
The security company denied such accusations in a phone conversation, Nuland said before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, without naming the company.
Russian media earlier reported that mercenaries of US private military company Greystone Limited were involved in the recent crackdown on pro-federalization protestors in eastern Ukraine. According to the firm’s official statement obtained by RIA Novosti, its employees did not take part in the events, and there are no plans to deploy anyone to the region.
“While Greystone has the ability to deploy world-class security staff and trainers anywhere in the world, the company does not currently, nor do we have any plans to, send personnel to the Ukraine,” Greystone media advisor Tiffany Anderson told RIA Novosti.
Greystone is registered in Barbados, according to open sources. It boasts it provides "protective security and training solutions to customers in challenging environments.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry earlier voiced concerns over the buildup of Ukrainian forces in the southeastern part of the country, including some 150 American mercenaries from Greystone dressed in uniforms of the Ukrainian elite police unit Sokol. Moscow called the move a violation of Ukrainian law.
In February, the Ukrainian parliament backed by far-right movements ousted from power President Viktor Yanukovych, amended the constitution and scheduled an early presidential election for May 25.
Moscow has described the uprising in Kiev as an illegitimate fascist coup and a military seizure of power, which resulted in it taking steps to protect ethnic Russians in Ukraine, including the reunification with Crimea.
