Maria Tsvetkova, Anton Zverev

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian mercenaries have deployed to separatist-controlled eastern Ukraine in recent weeks to bolster defences against Ukrainian government forces as tensions between Moscow and the West rise, four sources have told Reuters.

Russia moved thousands of its regular troops closer to Ukraine in recent weeks. Moscow then demanded urgent security assurances from the West to ensure that Ukraine, and any other neighboring, countries, are not used to attack Ukraine.

For their part, the West and Ukraine accused Russia of planning to launch a fresh offensive against its southern neighbor as soon as next month. Moscow strongly denies this accusation.

Russia annexed Crimea Peninsula from Ukraine and supported pro-Russian separatists that seized large swathes of industrial Donbass in eastern Ukraine the same year. They continue fighting Ukrainian government forces.

Three of the four sources described offers by mercenary recruiters for Donbass. The recruiters didn’t reveal who they were, the sources claimed. Fearing for their safety, all four sources refused to name the source.

The two sources who accepted the offer said so; the third source said that he refused.

“There’s a full house. “They are gathering all combat veterans,” one accepted.

According to him, he has fought for Russian security contractors in Syria and Ukraine. Their operations are closely linked with Russia’s strategic goals. The contractors were not identified by him.

According to the fighter, he planned to join forces with fellow mercenaries from Russia at the border with eastern Ukraine’s separatist-held Luhansk.

According to the Kremlin, it does not have anything to do with Russian private military contractors. The Kremlin describes these operatives as volunteers without any connection to state.

Dmitry Peskov (Kremlin spokesperson) said that this was the first information we had heard and they aren’t sure how true these statements might be.

Peskov claimed that no Russian troops or advisers were present in eastern Ukraine. Kyiv disagrees with this statement and claims that there are regular Russian military forces present.

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Alexander Ivanov was the head of the Community of Officers For International Security. This non-governmental organization represents Russian contractors in Central Africa Republic. He said that he did not have “any single confirmation” of any Russian mercenary being deployed to Ukraine.

The sources claimed that they did not know of any Russian plans to strike Ukraine again or make preparations suggesting such an attack.

Sources claim that the military deployment is for defense purposes. One source claims the contractor was a Russian citizen who had participated in Russian foreign operations. First mercenary also said that.

According to another source, he did not direct the deployment. However, he kept in touch and was connected with special-trained personnel on the ground. According to him, the purpose of the deployment was for “sabotage” activities in order to disrupt stability in Ukraine.

In 2014, separatist fighters overtook a portion of eastern Ukraine and declared independence of the Donetsk People’s Republic. Russia supported its declaration of independence, but it has yet to be recognized internationally. Alexander Borodai was the ex-prime minister of DPR and the head of Union of Donbass Volunteers. He said his organization wasn’t involved in recruiting mercenaries from eastern Ukraine.

Members of the organization have fought previously in Syria and Ukraine.

Borodai is also a Russian lawmaker and a member of the United Russia ruling party.

Eduard Basurin of the Separatist Party stated that he was unaware of any Russian recent deployments of security contractors in eastern Ukraine.

The military intelligence of Ukraine declined to comment while the state security services did not respond to requests for comment.