--- description: Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu assured Chuck Hagel that the country’s military would not invade Ukraine title: Russian Defense Secretary Assures Hagel Forces Won't Invade Ukraine image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9cf44245e5774c39/69868cefadae4470ce542d12/chuck-hagel.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [europe](/tag/europe/) ## europe Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # 'We Won't Invade Ukraine,' Russian Military Chief Tells Chuck Hagel by [David Stout](/author/david-stout/) ## David Stout Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 29, 2014 9:00 AM CUT  Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel delivers remarks before signing the Department of Defense Human Goals Charter at the Pentagon, April 28, 2014 in Arlington, Va. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel delivers remarks before signing the Department of Defense Human Goals Charter at the Pentagon, April 28, 2014 in Arlington, Va.Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images by [David Stout](/author/david-stout/) ## David Stout Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 29, 2014 9:00 AM CUT Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel [received “assurance”](http://www.defense.gov/Releases/Release.aspx?ReleaseID=16669 "undefined") from his Russian counterpart, Sergei Shoygu, on Monday that the Kremlin would not send troops amassed on its western border with Ukraine, where separatist forces have called for Moscow’s assistance. “Minister Shoygu reiterated his assurance that Russian forces would not invade Ukraine,” read a statement by the Department of Defense. “Sec. Hagel emphasized how dangerous the situation remains and expressed his desire to find a responsible way forward.” Hagel also appealed to Shoygu to help secure the release of seven observers from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) held by separatist militants in eastern Ukraine. Russia’s ambassador to the Vienna-based OSCE, Andrei Kelin, on Monday agreed that it would be a “good step” to release the observers but chastised the organization for being “extremely irresponsible” by sending military monitors to the restive borderlands. “People \[are\] expecting an aggression … every moment, so it is extremely tense. That is why it was extremely irresponsible to direct \[monitors\] to this region in this tense situation,” Kelin said after a closed-door OSCE meeting, according to [Reuters](http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/28/us-ukraine-crisis-osce-idUSBREA3R0XZ20140428 "undefined"). It was “quite an adventure or provocation … to bring these people to a hot spot.” Eight OSCE observers were detained by separatist forces last week and paraded in front of the media on Sunday. One Swedish team member was released later that same day; however, insurgents in rebel-held Slavyansk demanded that the remaining seven be swapped for jailed “activists” held by Kiev. Eastern Ukraine remained tense on Monday after pro-Russian forces wielding baseballs bats, pipes and stun grenades [attacked pro-Ukraine supporters](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtnGOKXQ%5FL8 "undefined") in the separatist-held city of Donetsk. More than 2,000 people had been rallying in support of a united Ukraine in the rebel stronghold. At least 20 people were injured, 10 of whom were hospitalized, after being [set upon](http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/28/us-ukraine-crisis-donetsk-idUSBREA3R10T20140428 "undefined") by the mob. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/80559/russia-assures-hagel/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/80559/russia-assures-hagel/"},"headline":"'We Won't Invade Ukraine,' Russian Military Chief Tells Chuck Hagel","datePublished":"2014-04-29T09:00:48.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-21T07:32:59.277Z","description":"Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoygu promised U.S. counterpart Chuck Hagel this week that the Kremlin won't send in troops massed along Ukraine's border into the country, as pro-Russian separatists in the restive region have requested","url":"https://time.com/80559/russia-assures-hagel/","keywords":["europe","Ukraine","russia","Vladimir Putin","Chuck Hagel","us"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9cf44245e5774c39/69868cefadae4470ce542d12/chuck-hagel.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"David Stout","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/david-stout/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt9cf44245e5774c39/69868cefadae4470ce542d12/chuck-hagel.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel delivers remarks before signing the Department of Defense Human Goals Charter at the Pentagon, April 28, 2014 in Arlington, Va.","caption":"Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel delivers remarks before signing the Department of Defense Human Goals Charter at the Pentagon, April 28, 2014 in Arlington, Va.","creditText":"Chip Somodevilla—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/europe/","name":"europe"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/80559/russia-assures-hagel/","name":"'We Won't Invade Ukraine,' Russian Military Chief Tells Chuck Hagel"}}]}] ```