RIA Novosti: Ukrainian Military Getting Ready to Storm Donetsk, Luhansk – Kiev Official

KIEV, August 5 (RIA Novosti) – Ukrainian troops have reached the eastern cities of Donetsk and Luhansk and are getting ready to take them by storm, Ukraine Security Council representative Andriy Lysenko said Tuesday.

“The main anti-terrorist operation forces, including territorial battalions, have reached these areas [outskirts of Donetsk and Luhansk]. It doesn’t mean that any storm has already started. We are preparing to free the cities,” Lysenko said.

The Ukrainian Army will not announce the start of the assault but only the takeover of Luhansk and Donetsk by the military, the spokesperson added.

In mid-April, Kiev launched a military crackdown on independence supporters in eastern Ukraine. According to the most recent UN report, the conflict has claimed the lives of more than 1,100 civilians, with nearly 3,500 injured.

Moscow has repeatedly condemned Kiev’s “war against its own people” and urged an immediate stop to the punitive operation, advocating a peaceful resolution to the crisis.