Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valeriy Zaluzhny says that Ukraine does not plan any offensive operations and shelling of civilians in Donbas.

"I officially announce: The Armed Forces of Ukraine strictly adhere to the Minsk agreements and norms of international law, do not plan any offensive operations or shelling of civilians. Our actions are purely defensive in nature," the statement posted on his Facebook page on Thursday says.

He explained this statement by the fact that, "according to information that comes from ORDLO, in some settlements in the temporarily occupied territory, in particular in Donetsk, it is planned to evacuate the civilian population in connection with a possible escalation."

"Any harm that can be inflicted on people or infrastructure in the occupied territories is a provocation," Zaluzny said.