Number of militants in Donbas exceeds 30,000 people - Ukrainian defense minister
The Ukrainian Armed Forces in Donbas are facing 30,000 militants and "5,500 Russian regular servicemen," Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said.
"Terrorist groups in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions have no capacities to advance forward, no level of training, no supplies, no morale. There are a little more than 30,000 of them in Donbas now, the first and second army corps and about 5,500 servicemen of the Russian regular forces," Poltorak said in an interview with Interfax.
The minister said that the current situation in Donbas remains tense: "there is constant shelling on their part, constant provocations for us to violate the agreements."
"Shelling stopped only in two sectors, those are the areas of disengagement of forces and equipment near Petrivske and Zolote. Let me remind you that the main principle of waging a hybrid war is provocation," Poltorak said.
At that, he said, Ukraine "clearly implements the Minsk agreements."
"We still need to work for our Armed Forces to be able to perform all tasks," the minister said.
Since 2014, Russian officials have repeatedly said that there were and are no Russian regular troops in the territory of Donbas and that all suggestions to the contrary are groundless and have never been supported by any documented evidence.
KYIV. Dec 2 (Interfax-Ukraine) - The Ukrainian Armed Forces in Donbas are facing 30,000 militants and "5,500 Russian regular servicemen," Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak said.
"Terrorist groups in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions have no capacities to advance forward, no level of training, no supplies, no morale. There are a little more than 30,000 of them in Donbas now, the first and second army corps and about 5,500 servicemen of the Russian regular forces," Poltorak said in an interview with Interfax.
The minister said that the current situation in Donbas remains tense: "there is constant shelling on their part, constant provocations for us to violate the agreements."
"Shelling stopped only in two sectors, those are the areas of disengagement of forces and equipment near Petrivske and Zolote. Let me remind you that the main principle of waging a hybrid war is provocation," Poltorak said.
At that, he said, Ukraine "clearly implements the Minsk agreements."
"We still need to work for our Armed Forces to be able to perform all tasks," the minister said.
Since 2014, Russian officials have repeatedly said that there were and are no Russian regular troops in the territory of Donbas and that all suggestions to the contrary are groundless and have never been supported by any documented evidence.
