Russia not to withdraw forces from Donbas in 2018 – U.S. military intelligence

11:54, 24.05.2017 1 min read

The U.S. military intelligence expects the hostilities in Donbas to continue in 2018 and believes the Minsk agreements will not to be implemented next year.

Director of the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, Lieutenant General Vincent Stewart said this at the meeting of the Armed Services Committee of the U.S. Senate.

"The conflict in eastern Ukraine between Russian-backed separatists and the Ukrainian government is likely to persist throughout the coming year as hopes dim for full implementation of the Minsk Agreements," Stewart said.

In his words, Russia is unlikely to abandon its destabilizing actions in Donbas.

Stewart also noted Russia's efforts aimed at modernizing its military potential.

However, he doesn't expect serious escalation in hostilities in Ukraine's east.

"Violence along the line of contact probably will remain limited to smaller engagements, although Russia retains a ready capability to escalate the conflict," Stewart said.