KIEV, July 21 (RIA Novosti) – The United States has provided the Ukrainian Army with demining robots for Kiev’s military operation against independence supporters in eastern regions of the country, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said Monday.
"As part of US technical assistance, we have received two of the five demining robots, similar to those with which our demining teams did work while participating in the International Security Assistance Force in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan," the ministry’s website reported.
It is not the first time the United States has provided Kiev with aid for its special operation against Ukrainian militia. In April, pro-Kiev forces received combat helmets and sleeping bags from the United States, as well as barbed wire for border barriers.
The conflict in Ukraine broke out after a February ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych. The southeastern regions of the country refused to recognize the legitimacy of the new authorities, and instead initiated a referendum on independence and declared themselves sovereign states.
In mid-April, Kiev launched a special operation to suppress the militia in the Donetsk and Luhansk people’s republics, and the two sides have been in conflict ever since.
