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Luhansk republic leader says Poroshenko won't launch new offensive in Donbas

According to the leader of the unrecognized self-proclaimed republic, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko "does not have enough gunpowder" for such actions

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko Mykhailo Palynchak/Press Office of the President of Ukraine/TASS

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko

© Mykhailo Palynchak/Press Office of the President of Ukraine/TASS

MOSCOW, December 7. /TASS/. The Kiev leadership understands that it cannot win if Ukrainian forces launch a new offensive in Donbas, the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) head Igor Plotnitsky said on Monday.

Read also

Russian Duma speaker says Kiev might unleash new aggression in Donbas

"Only real combat actions can demonstrate how our forces are prepared. Judging from the way Kiev is acting, they understand very well what they will have to face. That is why I personally think that [Ukrainian President Petro] Poroshenko does not have enough gunpowder for such actions. Foolishness may be sufficient to launch provocations but they have to capabilities to win," Luhansk Inform Center quoted Plotnitsky as saying.

LPR people’s militia repeatedly stated that Ukrainian Armed Forces regularly move personnel and military equipment to the contact line in Donbas, including those weapons prohibited by the Minsk Agreements. LPR noted that multiple rocket launcher systems were spotted, along with self-propelled artillery systems, tanks and mortars.

Read also

DPR says Ukrainian troops pull weapons and artillery to engagement line in Donbas

Earlier today the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) defense ministry spokesman Eduard Basurin said Ukrainian forces have moved 467 units of artillery, armored vehicles and vehicles with ammunition to the contact line in Donbass over the last week. He said that among military equipment spotted on the Gorlovka direction were 123 tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, 27 Grad multiple rocket launcher systems, 31 cannon artillery systems, two self-propelled artillery systems, one Buk missile defense system, four vehicles with personal belongings, ammunition and personnel.

As for military equipment spotted on the Donetsk direction, Basurin named 146 tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, nine Grad multiple rocket launcher systems, 34 self-propelled artillery systems, four howitzers, 16 vehicles with personal belongings and ammunition and 1,100 personnel.

The defense ministry spokesman said that on the Mariupol direction, DPR spotted 53 tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers, eight cannon artillery systems, 13 Grad multiple rocket launcher systems, eight self-propelled artillery systems, seven vehicles with personal belongings and ammunition and 150 personnel.

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