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Ukraine's Poroshenko narrows offensive zone

Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko said that the active phase of the military operation was continuing

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (left) talks to a soldier in Sloviansk ITAR-TASS/Nikolai Lazarenko

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (left) talks to a soldier in Sloviansk

© ITAR-TASS/Nikolai Lazarenko

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Luhansk fighters claim downing two Ukrainian attack aircraft

LUHANSK, July 14. /ITAR-TASS/. The Ukrainian army’s subversive groups have shelled a bus terminal in the eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk on Monday.

Eyewitnesses said that several blasts went off near the bus terminal around 20 minutes ago. Information on casualties is being specified.

At a meeting with army and police chiefs on Monday, Poroshenko said that the “area of the anti-terrorist operation (in the east of the country) will be narrowed".

“The president noted the need for changes in tactics to narrow the zone of the anti-terrorist operation, strengthen the border protection and do everything to ensure the protection of civilians,” the Ukrainian president’s press office reported.

Poroshenko also said that the active phase of the military operation was continuing. The Ukrainian president said that a meeting of the National Security and Defense Council was planned to be held and also ordered head of the state defense company Ukroboronprom Roman Romanov to improve arms supplies to the Ukrainian army to raise the efficiency of combat operations.

Fierce fighting continues between troops loyal to Kiev and local militias in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions as the Ukrainian armed forces are conducting a military operation to regain control over the breakaway regions, which on May 11 proclaimed their independence at local referendums.

During its military operation conducted since mid-April, Kiev has used armored vehicles, heavy artillery and attack aviation. According to Ukraine’s Health Ministry, 478 civilians have been killed and 1,392 wounded in the armed stand-off. Many buildings have been destroyed and tens of thousands of people have had to flee Ukraine’s embattled southeast.

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Ukraine crisis Ukraine Donetsk Eastern Ukraine Pyotr Poroshenko

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