Updated February 12th, 2022 at 13:41 IST

People’s Militia of Donetsk reports movements of Ukrainian weapons & soldiers near border

The People’s Militia of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk republics have recently reported the movements of Ukraine's military equipment and soldiers

Reported by: Anwesha Majumdar
Image: AP | Image:self
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As the West has been accusing Russia of plotting to "invade" Ukraine, the People’s Militia of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk republics have recently reported the movements of Ukrainian military equipment as well as soldiers towards the line of contact in the region.

Apart from additional soldiers, Ukrainian S-300 missile systems, rocket artilleries, as well as foreign mercenaries have been observed along the border separating Kyiv forces and the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), according to militia spokesperson Eduard Basurin. 

Pointing to Kyiv's official term for its military operation in the Donbass, Basurin added that an S-300 anti-aircraft missile battalion was relocated from the Odessa region and stationed at the Kramatorsk airbase to cover the command center of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO)'s headquarters. 

JFO has built groupings of multiple launch rocket systems 

While addressing the media on Friday, Basurin said, "The command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, under the cover of an exercise, has begun the transfer units of the 92nd separate mechanized brigade from the Kharkiv region to the (conflict zone)," Sputnik reported.

The spokesperson went on to say that the arrival of the brigade's operating groups has been observed in the 30thSeparate Mechanized Brigade's area of responsibility in the direction of Debaltseve.  

In addition to this, the JFO has built groupings of multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS) near regions capable of reaching DPR territory, with MLRS weaponry and support vehicles detected across five Kyiv-controlled communities less than 30 kilometres from the line of contact, Sputnik reported citing the spokesperson.

Donbass Militia spotted Foreign mercs in the border region

Further, Basurin warned by saying, “We have no doubt that the command of the Ukrainian Armed Forces will inflict massive artillery strikes at the start of hostilities against not only the forward positions of the People’s Militia but will also attempt to destroy critically important civilian facilities on the territory of the republic,” Sputnik reported.

People's Militia intelligence has also identified British and Polish mercenaries working near the towns of Shirokino and Popasnaya, according to Basurin, and their existence in the Donbass has been confirmed "by information from open sources".

Since the adoption of the Minsk Peace Agreements in February 2015, which put a halt to the heated phase of the war and caused Kyiv forces and rebels to withdraw soldiers and heavy machinery from the front lines, the Donbass has been in a state of frozen civil war. 

(Image: AP)

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Published February 12th, 2022 at 13:07 IST