Ukraine Deploying More Troops in the East as Tensions Rise
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Zoonar/Thinkstock(KIEV, Ukraine) — As pro-Russian leaders in Donetsk and Luhansk were sworn in Tuesday following a disputed election, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko ordered the deployment of more troops to the regions in the event rebels decide to undertake a major offensive with help from Moscow.
Meanwhile, the mostly ineffective ceasefire in place since September appeared on the verge of total collapse with reports that Russia was sending more soldiers and military hardware to the border near Ukraine.
Although Poroshenko claims he’s still committed to the peace process, he also threatened to remove the special autonomous status of Donetsk and Luhansk, the hotbeds of the insurgents’ rebellion.
The reinforcements ordered by the president will be stationed in Mariupol, Berdyansk, Kharkiv and the north of Luhansk region in an effort to deter separatists from seeking more territory.
Since the initial insurgent uprising last March, as many as 4,000 people have been killed in eastern Ukraine.
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