August 4, 2014 (BBC News Europe) Ukraine's defence minister Valeriy Heletey has
said his forces are gaining ground significantly against rebels in the
country's east. He told the BBC there would be victory "very soon". He
blamed the rebels for the difficulties faced by international experts in
getting access to the MH17 crash site. His remarks came as civilians in the
east prepare for a siege as government forces close in on the rebel-held cities
of Donetsk and Luhansk. Residents are stockpiling food and supplies and are
sleeping in basements, with reports suggesting Luhansk is virtually surrounded
and without power.
Gas shortages are causing problems
in both government- and rebel-held areas
Many of those who have left their
homes in Donetsk and Luhansk regions are seeking shelter in places further from
the fighting
In the Donetsk region, where
pro-Russian rebels hold sway, Saturday saw parades and celebrations to mark
Paratroopers' Day
At least nine civilians were
reported killed in Donetsk and Luhansk on Saturday. The region has been
unstable since April, when rebels in the east declared independence from Kiev. More
than 1,500 people are believed to have been killed since fighting began.
The downing of Malaysia Airlines
flight MH17 in July has heightened tensions and failed to stem the fighting. Russia,
which annexed Ukraine's Crimea region in March, has been accused of arming the
rebels and has been targeted by US and EU sanctions. Russia denies the
accusations. 'Russia is retaliating' Col-Gen Heletey said he understood that it
would not be easy to capture the cities of Donetsk and Luhansk, especially as
Russia was "doing everything it can to provoke us". But he said his
forces were winning. "The separatists' territory is now two-and-a-half
times smaller than it was four weeks ago," he said. "More than 65
towns and villages have been liberated by Ukrainian forces in the Donetsk and
Luhansk region. Our forces are in an offensive phase, but I want the world to
know, that Russia is retaliating." The defence minister said he was 100%
sure of victory and that Ukraine had no choice but to carry on fighting. "Ukraine
is like a burning house. The Ukrainian army is going inside the burning house,
to put the fire out," he said. "If we don't put it out, it will be in
Kiev, in Kharkiv, everywhere. We are asking every Ukrainian: take a bucket of
water and help us to put the fire out." Col-Gen Heletey said that there
would be no fighting on the MH17 crash site, currently controlled by the
rebels, until all the evidence and remains had been collected. "In
practical terms, we are not far away from the crash site, but we have backed
off from the area... so the international mission can be carried out
properly," he said.
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