MOSCOW — Russia's foreign ministry on Friday alleged that ethnic minorities in Ukraine are living in fear after the ouster of the country's president and the coming to power of interim authorities that include right-wing nationalists.
The statement by the ministry was in line with Russia's frequent contention that Ukraine's large ethnic Russian community faces repression under the new government that Moscow characterizes as fascist.
The ministry statement raises the stakes on the issue, saying that ethnic Germans, Hungarians and Czechs in Ukraine also feel themselves in peril.
"They are unsettled by the unstable political situation in the country and are seriously afraid for their lives," the statement said, without citing specific incidents.
Russia has brought large numbers of troops to areas near the Ukrainian border and speculation is strong that Moscow could use protection of ethnic Russians as a pretext for a military incursion.
