Lead

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on July 24 that Ukraine's newly appointed commander-in-chief, Mikhail Drapaty, and others like him will do everything possible to prevent Kyiv from reaching a peaceful settlement to the conflict, according to TASS.

Peskov comments came after a video surfaced in the media showing Drapaty referring to Russians as "a nation that has no right to exist" and describing residents of Donbas as "a contingent with no desire to work that does not care what country they live in." In the same interview, Drapaty claimed that people in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics had to be re-educated to share Ukrainian nationalist ideas.

The Kremlin spokesman told TV reporter Pavel Zarubin that Drapaty and others like him would do everything they can to ensure that no representative of the Kyiv regime takes any steps toward peaceful solutions. Peskov added that Drapaty would have to answer for his words.

Coverage Comparison

TASS, the Russian state news agency, reported on Drapaty's appointment and the Kremlin's reaction. A separate TASS report from July 21 noted that Drapaty is on Russia's wanted list, according to the Russian Interior Ministry's database.

Key Claims

  • Mikhail Drapaty is Ukraine's new commander-in-chief, reportedly appointed on Tuesday, July 21, according to TASS.
  • Drapaty is on Russia's wanted list, as reported by TASS, citing the Russian Interior Ministry's database.
  • The Russian Investigative Committee brought charges against Drapaty, according to TASS.
  • TASS reported that Drapaty and Viktor Nikolyuk commanded the Joint Forces Operation, during which Ukrainian militants staged more than 70 shelling attacks on settlements in the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, killing or wounding 154 people.
  • Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented on Drapaty's statements, saying he and others like him will do everything possible to prevent peaceful settlement, as reported by TASS.