Ukrainian law enforcement units will encircle Sloviansk to liquidate the armed opposition and regain full control over the state border in eastern regions, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said.
“We are taking resolute steps and conducting successful operations
towards the restoration [of control] over the state border,” the
president told reporters in Kyiv on Wednesday.
“We will do our best today to encircle Sloviansk; we are moving on
and the circle is tightening in order to liquidate the militants led by
the so-called Shooter [defense minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk
People’s Republic Igor Girkin (Strelkov)] who are resisting Ukrainian
servicemen with arms,” Poroshenko said.
The president said he was maintaining permanent contact with senior
officials of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and the anti-terrorist
operation command.
“Conferences are held practically every day in the Defense Ministry
and at my [office] and operations are thoroughly planned. When the Go
order is given we try to do our reconnaissance well and to properly
equip our fighters so that we avoid civilian and army casualties. When
they try to move on without an order, we see what we saw last night. No
one is going to tolerate Makhnovism in the Ukrainian army,” the
president said.
It is important to assign trained, well equipped and well armed
fighters on combat missions, he said. “Now we need not just heroism
[although we need it very much], not only patriotism but also strict
military discipline and cohesion with other units of the Armed Forces,
reconnaissance, interaction and clearly defined tasks,” Poroshenko said.
