Ukrainian army’s 30th, 24th Brigades planning offensive - LPR militia

Commanders of the Ukrainian army’s 30tth and 24th Separate Mechanised Brigades have been making plans for an offensive in case of the beginning of aggression against the Lugansk People’s Republic, LPR People’s Militia spokesman Ivan Filiponenko said.

The command of 30th and 24th Brigades is updating combat assignments to officers of all ranks,” Filiponenko said. “Ukrainian troops are refueling and performing maintenance of hardware.”

“The LPR Defense Ministry records “increased activity of rear services in all formations restocking on fuel, lubricants and ammunition to required norms,” he added.

Earlier on Thursday, Filiponenko said that Kiev forces might deliver the main strike from the 30th Brigade position area.

The Ukrainian army’s 30th Separate Mechanised Brigade operates in the Svetlodarsk Salient area and the 24th Brigade is deployed in the Zolotoye area.

LPR militia chief-of-staff Yan Leschenko said that Ukrainian forces had been preparing for switching over to hostilities in Donbass, careful hiding the massing of forces and hardware in the zone of the so-called joint forces operation. Leschenko also said that the Ukrainian army at this point is not ready to launch an offensive along the whole contact line.

The Ukrainian government launched the so-called anti-terrorist operation against Donbass in April 2014.  Conflict settlement relies on the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements, signed on February 12, 2015 in the Belarussian capital by the Contact Group members and coordinated by the Normandy Four heads of states (Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine).  The document provides for ceasefire and withdrawal of heavy weapons from the contact line. *i*s