Putin: Slaughter like in Srebrenica could happen in Ukraine

Russian President Vladimir Putin says "the Minsk format" for settling the Ukraine crisis is ineffective.

The reason, according to Putin, is that the authorities in Kiev "have no desire to implement the Minsk agreements."

At one point he compared the region of Donbass with Srebrenica.

"As for the tragedy that is playing out there, one should always look at the primary source, and that was the coup (in Ukraine)," Putin said, according to Sputnik's Serbian language website.

The Russian army is not in the territory of Donbass, Putin continued, addressing his big annual press conference that gathered 1,640 journalists.

"Certain militia units have indeed been formed there that are ready to repel any military action against Donbass. We consider this to be in the interests of people living in that territory, otherwise Kiev's national battalions would carry out...