Russia's Putin blames Ukraine for sabotaging peace accords

MOSCOW (AP) - Russian President Vladimir Putin is accusing the Ukrainian government of sabotaging peace accords for the country's east during a visit to Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula Russia annexed in 2014.

A conflict in eastern Ukraine between Russia-backed separatists and Ukrainian government troops has killed more than 9,500 people but 2015 peace accords signed in Minsk, Belarus, has helped to make the fighting less intense.

Earlier this month, Russian intelligence accused Ukraine of sending its agents to Crimea to carry out terrorist attacks, saying that one Russian agent and one soldier were killed while fending off the alleged attacks.

Putin said on Friday the Ukrainian government is behind the attack because they are looking for a pretext not to comply with the Minsk peace deal.