In the occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, there are more than 35,000 armed militants, including local residents and mercenaries, as well as regular servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Interior Minister of Ukraine Arsen Avakov said.

"The first Army Corps in Donetsk and the second Army Corps in Luhansk are operating ... There are more than 35,000 people in the east of Ukraine," the Interior Minister said during the National Expert Forum "Ukraine: In Pursuance of Balance" in Kyiv on Tuesday.

These units have 478 tanks, 848 armored vehicles, 750 mortars, 208 multiple-launch rocket systems, and 363 anti-tank systems, he said.