UKRAINIAN ARMY PLANS NEW OFFENSIVE ON DONBASS?

The military intelligence of the Donetsk People’s Republic has reported that the Ukrainian Army is going to launch a new offensive in the direction of Donetsk.

Ukrainian soldiers carry a recoilless rifle during a training exercise led by troops from the 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, in November 2016 at a range near Yavoriv, Ukraine (Photo: US Army / Elizabeth Tarr)

According to last reports from the Donbass, the Ukrainian Army is building up forces in the direction of Donetsk. The military intelligence of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) obtained information about intentions of the Ukrainian forces to launch an offensive in the area, located between Donetsk and Gorlovka in the coming days in order to take full control of a highway, connecting these cities of the republic, and cut off Gorlovka from connection with Donetsk by the shortest route.

Spokesman for the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Dmitry Tymchuk, called these reports of the DPR intelligence “rumors.”

“Citing operational data of the “military intelligence,” staff structures of units of the 1st DPR army corps are distributing information that in the period from February 17 to February 19, units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces become active at the Donetsk direction. According to this information, the Ukrainian Armed Forces allegedly plan to carry out large-scale actions on the main forward positions of the occupiers that should allow the Ukrainian Army to get full control over a part of the Donetsk-Gorlovka road,” Tymchuk wrote on his Facebook.

At the same time, according to him, representatives of the enemy (the DPR People’s Militia) “have reduced the intensity of shelling in the area of Avdeyevka due to lack of ammunition.”

If to analyze the Tymchuk’s statements, it is quite understandable why Ukrainian troops have a ‘desire’ to start a new provocation in the Donetsk direction: the Ukrainian Armed Forces believe that they have a possibility not to meet resistance and take the highway under their full control.

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