Earlier today, Greek media reported that three ethnic Greeks from the town of Sartana in eastern Ukraine, later announced to be two ethnic Greeks by the Foreign Ministry, were killed in a Russian airstrike.
This has been denied by the Russian Embassy in Athens, who says that the Russian Air Force were not operating in the area of Sartana on Saturday.
"We express our deep sorrow over the death and injury of Greek expatriates in the Donbas area.
"For our part, we assure with full responsibility that the objectives of the Russian special military operation are exclusively military units and infrastructure.
"We do not bomb residential areas and villages, nor any political or social infrastructure.
"On the outskirts of the village of Sartana, the Russian Air and Space Forces were not operating today.
"At the same time, we note that the Ukrainian army and neo-Nazi nationalist battalions have been known for many years to strike, even with heavy weapons, at civilians.
"This is proven and officially recorded.
"We warn that the Kiev regime is likely to use the Greek, as well as other ethnic communities living in Ukraine, precisely to provoke and inflate the anti-Russian reaction from abroad."
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The Greek Foreign Ministry said in a statement earlier today:
“Greece expresses its disgust and unequivocally condemns the bombing of civilians by a Russian aircraft on the outskirts of the village of Sartana earlier today, which resulted in the death of two expatriates and the injury of six others, including of a child.”
“By order of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nikos Dendias, the General Secretary Themistoklis Demiris made a strong protest action by telephone to the Russian Ambassador in Athens and invited him to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs tomorrow.
“It is recalled that the Minister of Foreign Affairs had urged his Russian counterpart, during their recent meeting, the issue of the need to protect the Greek community.”
