Poroshenko demands change in tactics in ATO zone

Tuesday, August 19, 2014 - 11:29 (EEST) Section: Latest news

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is insisting on a new content of the anti-terrorist operation (ATO) in eastern Ukraine.
He said this at a meeting with the heads of law enforcement agencies on Monday, the presidential press office reported.
“Today we must consider a new content of the military operation under new conditions. Today we need to carry out a regrouping of the forces, which will ensure the protection of our territory and the continuation of the offensive actions of the army,” Poroshenko said.
He noted that reports on the entry of 1,200 trained militants and armored vehicles into Ukraine “from the eastern neighbor” had been confirmed. Part of these vehicles has been destroyed. Now, measures are being taken to destroy the rest of them, he added.
The president also stressed the need to cut off the system for supplying terrorists with mercenaries, new weapons and ammunition. He said that the tactics now is “to cut the territories controlled by terrorists into zones, narrow the encirclement and deprive them of the opportunity to receive weapons and ammunition.”
Poroshenko noted that the main cities controlled by militants had been already besieged. Unfortunately, they are about to face an environmental disaster, he said. The level of water in the mines of the Donbas became dangerous, and terrorists destroy transformer substations by artillery fire undermining the energy supply of complete production cycle enterprises, he said.
“Industrial potential of the Donbas is virtually being destroyed. Terrorists are temporary residents of these places, so they have no ties with them. The worse is the better for them. They destroy infrastructure, substations, bridges, enterprises. It is the guilt of militants and their foreign patrons,” he said.
The head of state proposed discussing tactics on reducing the damage and avoiding the risk for people and the elimination of industrial potential of the Donbas “to minimize work on restoration of normal life.”