Militants destroying infrastructure in eastern Ukraine - defense minister

Kyiv, August 22 (Interfax-Ukraine) - The activity of illegal armed groups in Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine is characterized by constant human rights violations, murders, robberies of civilians, and the destruction of infrastructure, Ukrainian Defense Minister Valeriy Heletei has said.

"Terrorists, when retreating, blow up roads and rail bridges, destroy wastewater treatment plants and electric pillars, mine roads and buildings, paralyze the work of whole enterprises, without thinking that the victims of their activities are ordinary people, residents of Donbas, who do not want war and want peace on their land," the Defense Ministry's press service quoted Heletei as saying at the House of Officers in Kyiv on Thursday at a meeting with representatives of the military and diplomatic corps accredited in Ukraine.

At the same time, he noted that "despite active resistance, the attack of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and the National Guard is successfully continuing."

"Ukrainian units are gradually liberating towns, restoring the infrastructure and helping people of Donbas return to a normal life," Heletei said.

He said that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko had set the task of cutting the system of supplies to illegal armed groups, "because through uncontrolled border sections they are constantly reinforced with arms, ammunition and mercenaries."

"That's why today's tactics of actions of Ukrainian units is to cut into separate zones the territory temporarily controlled by terrorists, tightly narrow the encirclement and not to give terrorists a chance for further supply," Heletei said.

At the same time, he described the events in eastern Ukraine as a serious challenge to European and global security that and Ukraine needs international support.

"Today, the entire civilized world understands that the actions of the Russian Federation pose a serious threat to global security, which has been formed for decades, since the Second World War. The scale of threats and the scope of response to the crisis situation suggest that today the Ukrainian Armed Forces, who faced the aggressive actions of Russia, need international support like never before," Heletei said.