MOSCOW, March 24. /TASS/. Ukrainian forces are deploying reserves, including personnel trained in European countries, to the combat engagement line, acting head of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Denis Pushilin said on Friday.
"Naturally, they are preparing. We are seeing a certain accumulation of forces, deployment of reserves, including from among those who underwent training in European countries. We are also observing the deployment of weapons," he said in an interview with the Rossiya-24 television channel.
According to Pushilin, Western countries, including the United States, are prodding Ukraine to stage a counteroffensive. "They need victories. They need some sort of justification for pumping an enormous volume of resources there, both in terms of financial aid and materiel <…> Moreover, they still need to demonstrate this to the European countries that the United States is trying to induce into taking such actions. And, naturally, the Kiev regime needs it as propaganda for domestic consumption. <…> If there are no victories, if there are not even the illusions of victories, or expectations of victories, then the situation may begin to get complicated very quickly in the domestic track in the rest of Ukraine," he said.
He stressed that Russia’s military command is in full control of the situation and is taking measures "to prevent such attempts [to stage a counteroffensive] by Kiev".
Pushilin’s adviser Yan Gagin said on Wednesday that Ukrainian troops had not yet formed assault units to stage an offensive at various sections of the line of engagement in Donbass. Russian forces, in his words, have sufficient manpower and weaponry to confront the enemy if Ukraine tries to attack.