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Washington sees Russian President's signing decree that classifies military losses during special operations in peacetime as an attempt to hide obvious Moscow's involvement in the conflict in Ukraine, as well as pressure on media freedom in Russia.

U.S. State Department spokesperson Jeff Rathke said this at a briefing in Washington on Thursday, an Ukrinform correspondent reported.

"Of course, we know about this document. We're aware of it and we see this as a misplaced effort to cover up what everyone knows, and that is that Russian active duty military personnel are fighting and dying in eastern Ukraine and that the Russian government is denying it," Rathke said.

He stressed that before crossing the border Russian troops often remove the insignia from their uniforms, they leave behind passports and other forms of identification, and they paint their vehicles to remove Russian flags and other identifying emblems. "All of this is to hide Russia's direct involvement in eastern Ukraine," the spokesperson said.

As an example, he cited the testimony of two captured Russian special operations soldiers, who confirmed the presence of Russian regular troops in Ukraine.

In addition, the State Department spokesman said that the decree signed by the Russian president is a blow to free press. "We think a free and independent press is an essential component of civil society," he stressed.

According to Rathke, in the U.S. view, "it seems pretty clear that the purpose of this legislation is directly related to Russia's involvement in Ukraine."

In this regard, he called on Russia to embrace the spirit of the Helsinki principles that were signed on to 40 years ago, including by Russia.

FM-TV

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