Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said on Saturday that the Kremlin no longer had any influence over rebels in the east of the ex-Soviet country.
"From now on Russia essentially has lost its influence over these people because it will be impossible to convince them to lay down arms when there's a direct threat to their lives," he said. Peskov added that "speaking about elections is absurd to say the least."
Asked how Russia would respond to the escalating crisis, Dmitry Peskov told Russian news agencies: "I cannot answer this question, it's an absolutely new element for us."
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