All combat units in the ATO zone as well as reserve forces are put into operational readiness because of the situation in Luhansk. It was stated by the Speaker of the Ministry of Defense Andrei Lysenko at a briefing in Kyiv.
"The fact is that, so to speak, thanks to the combat activity of the occupants on the front line on the line of demarcation, our units are in a state of constant operational readiness, they are always observing the situation. Now we are paying more attention to the situation that is developing in Luhansk and near the city. I will remove all the questions about the increase of readiness: it is already very high, we have nowhere else to increase it, and our reserve forces, which are located in the areas where equipment is withdrawn according to the Minsk agreements, are ready", - Lysenko noted.
According to him, in the case of an escalation of the situation on this sector of the front, all measures will be taken to ensure that the enemy does not move forward. "We will inform our Western partners for this, and we will also take all measures to ensure that the local population were not affected," - he stressed.
The speaker of the Ministry of Defense also said that additional tanks of the enemy did not enter Luhansk.
"Information about the tanks that allegedly entered, was not confirmed. The fact is that there is enough technique in and around Luhansk. We are monitoring the situation, reconnaissance is being carried out, including aerial reconnaissance", - Lysenko said.
It should be reminded, on November 21, the center of the occupied Luhansk was blocked by people in military uniform with automatic weapons on an armored personnel carrier, which, according to the reports of the militants, had nothing in common with their groups. Even after lunch, the same informational resources of the militants shared an official statement of the "minister of Internal Affairs of the LNR" Igor Cornet, who said that the activities of the "Ukrainian sabotage-reconnaissance group" were suppressed in “republic”.
READ: VIDEO. Unknown Armed People Captured the Center of Luhansk
The day before, the leader of the "LNR" Igor Plotnitsky fired "the minister of Internal Affairs" Igor Cornet, but he refused to obey the order. Some news agencies of the militants reported that Cornet barricaded in the building of the "Ministry of Internal Affairs".
After the appearance of armed equipment in the streets of Luhansk, an extraordinary meeting of the Military Cabinet of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine was held.
During the meeting, President Petro Poroshenko stated that the Armed Forces of Ukraine are ready for any development of events in order to ensure the safety of civilians due to the escalation of the situation in certain districts of the Luhansk region.
The OSCE informed that the observers had fixed a column of military equipment, which was first seen near Debaltsevo in the Donetsk region, then, in the opinion of the OSCE, it is likely that the same column was driving towards Luhansk.
Also in the OSCE declared machines of a military type and the presence of armed persons around the building of the so-called "Ministry of Internal Affairs" of the “LNR”.