Just in from Reuters:
WELL-KNOWN UKRAINIAN JOURNALIST OLES BUZINA SHOT DEAD IN KIEV - INTERIOR MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE
Putin Denies Army Troops In Ukraine, Says No Imperial Ambitions
By RFE/RL
President Vladimir Putin said on April 16 that "the Russian Army is not in Ukraine," repeating Moscow's denial that it has sent troops to aid pro-Russian rebels.
In a question-and-answer session that was shown live on state television, Putin said Russia is not trying to "resurrect the empire" but will act to support Russians in former Soviet republics.
Kyiv and NATO have rejected Russia's denials, saying Moscow has sent troops and weapons to help the rebels in a conflict that has killed more than 6,000 people since April 2014.
Putin said Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has made "colossal" mistakes in handling the conflict in eastern Ukraine, but stressed that the only way to resolve disputes between Kyiv and separatists is to implement a cease-fire deal signed in Minsk in February.
Putin's spokesman said a day earlier that many Russians were calling on Putin to recognize self-declared republics established by separatists in eastern Ukraine as independent.
Putin gave no indication he would do that, saying that Kyiv should protect the rights of Russian-speakers abroad and abide by the Minsk agreement, which Russia accuses Kyiv of violating.
Kyiv says Russia and the rebels have violated the deal.
Russia illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014.
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Putin says Russia is not planning to "resurrect the empire" but will act to support Russians living in the former Soviet republics.