President Vladimir Putin on Thursday declared all deaths of Russian soldiers during special operations to be classified as a state secret, a move that comes as Moscow stands accused of sending soldiers to fight in eastern Ukraine.
Putin, who has repeatedly denied any involvement of Russian troops in a pro-Russian rebellion there, amended a decree that had previously classified only deaths of servicemen during war time as secret.
Asked to explain the rationale behind Putin’s move, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov had no immediate comment.
Russian opposition activists released a report saying at least 220 serving Russian soldiers were killed in fighting in two …read more
Source: Voice of America
