DONETSK (Ukraine) (Pakistan Point news / Sputnik - 01st September, 2018) The Ukrainian security forces may launch an offensive on the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas on September 14, Eduard Basurin, the deputy commander of the DPR Operational Command, said Saturday.
On Friday, DPR leader Alexander Zakharchenko was killed in a bomb blast in the cafe Separ in downtown Donetsk . DPR Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Timofeev, who accompanied Zakharchenko, is in a moderately severe condition in a hospital. According to the DPR Emergencies Ministry, two people were killed and 11 more were injured by the blast. Six of those wounded were hospitalized.
"Our sources in the headquarters of the Special Operations Forces and operational command Vostok name September 14 as a possible date of the offensive," Basurin said.
He pointed out that the information about the future offensive had been confirmed by the data obtained from downed Ukrainian drones.
"Our intelligence revealed deployment of a combat group of the Ukrainian security forces on the Mariupol direction under the coverage of Storm-2018 drills," the official said.
Basurin noted that on the threshold of the possible offensive Kiev intensified information pressure on Donbas accusing the people's republics of more and more shelling attacks.
"Our units are on high alert and are ready for any development, up to launching the counterattack in case of the enemy's offensive," he said.
Basurin also called on Western countries to meddle in the situation and prevent the Ukrainian authorities from escalating tensions in Donbas.
