The Ukrainian anti-terrorist operation should prepare for winter combat in Donbas against the backdrop of intensified militants operations, Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak has said.
The Defense Ministry has noticed an increase in militants’ activity, he said at a government meeting in Kyiv on Wednesday, Nov. 12. “We are monitoring their movements and know their locations. Certainly, we are expecting sudden moves from them,” the minister said.
In his opinion, a primary objective under these circumstances is “to prepare for combat” in the winter season.
Ukrainian troops deployed in the anti-terrorist operation zone are being thoroughly prepared in this context, the minister vowed.
According to the minister, reserve forces are being prepared and the first and second lines of defense are being built in the anti-terrorist operation zone. “We are relocating our forces and we are prepared to respond within the limits of our capacities to surprise moves by the armed units operating on territories beyond our control,” Poltorak said.
He affirmed control over the situation in the anti-terrorist operation zone and stated that Ukrainian servicemen were prepared to respond to a change in the circumstances.
The Defense Ministry has concluded contracts of over one billion hryvnias for the delivery of armaments and military hardware over the past week, the minister said.
“Earlier this week and late last week we concluded contracts for more than one billion hryvnias worth of armaments and hardware,” he said.
Poltorak declared an improvement in the work of the defense industry and said that the money allocated for repairs of military systems and vehicles was being used in due time.
He also said that the army was being supplied with winter-season necessities.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said the Defense Ministry should be able to prepay contracts over a period of up to 90 days.
“I am making a request to the Finance Ministry. We need to pass a resolution today and enable the Defense Ministry to prepay any military contracts the ministry may need within a period of up to 90 days. Contracts worth of one billion hryvnias were concluded in the past few days and we must pay for everything so that the maximum amount of armaments, military hardware and clothes is delivered to the armed forces by the end of this year,” the prime minister said.
