You're reading: Militants breach Donbas truce over 3,000 times since early September – defense minister

Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak has accused the Donbas militants of breaching the Sept. 5 ceasefire more than 3,000 times.

At a meeting with Chairman of the NATO Military Committee Gen. Knud Bartels on Thursday, Nov. 20, Poltorak noted that tensions in Ukraine’s eastern regions had not de-escalated since the alliance’s summit in Wales in September, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on its website.

“The crisis indicators show that Russia has not changed its aggressive plans. Russia continues to supply heavy hardware and weapons to the terrorists,” the Ukrainian minister said.

Poltorak also accused Russia of obstructing the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s decision to send its monitors to the Russian-Ukrainian border in the conflict area.

“We believe that Ukraine is not the only target of this Russian aggression. It is a real threat to security and stability in Europe,” Poltorak said.