Putin: peacetime troop deaths secret

(ANSA) - Rome, May 28 - The deaths of Russian troops in peacetime will be covered by State secrecy provisions, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday.
    Putin signed a decree banning information about the deaths of Russian forces "during special operations".
    The Kremlin has consistently denied sending regular troops and armour to help rebels in eastern Ukraine.
    But a new report from the US says Russia has been using training camps near the border as "launching points of Russia's war in Ukraine".
    The study by the Atlantic Council, published on Thursday, claims to have tracked Russian involvement in the conflict using photographs, videos and satellite images posted online.
    President Putin's move to ban information about peacetime military deaths comes amid fears of a fresh offensive by Russian-backed separatists