KIEV (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 18th February, 2022) The Ukrainian Armed Forces are not currently planning any offensive operations in the conflict-torn eastern region of Donbas, Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi said.
Within the past several days, the situation on the contact line between Ukraine and the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk (DPR and LPR) has become tenser, with the parties accusing each other of opening fire.
"We are officially announcing that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are fully implementing the Minsk Agreements and the international humanitarian law as well as are not planning any offensive operations or shelling civilians. Our actions are only of the defensive nature," Zaluzhnyi said on late Thursday, as quoted by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.
He added that Russia was responsible for any escalation of tensions in Donbas.
Kiev launched a military operation against the self-proclaimed republic of Donetsk and Luhansk in 2014 after they refused to recognize the new Ukrainian government and proclaimed independence from the country.
A ceasefire deal was signed in Minsk a year later following the talks brokered by the leaders of the Normandy Four states: Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany. The agreement has not been implemented so far and sporadic clashes still continue.
