Kyslytsya: Russian-led troops in Donbas dwarf many European armies

19.02.2020 11:54

Ukrinform

The Russian Federation continues to supply its occupation forces with the weaponry, regular troops and mercenaries “to the extent that now they dwarf many European armies.”

“Around 500 tanks, around 1000 armored combat vehicles, almost 130 MLRS, almost 800 artillery systems are [stationed] now in the occupied territories in Donbas,” Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Serhiy Kyslytsya said at the United Nations Security Council briefing on Ukraine.

Six years of Russia’s military invasion in Donbas left over 13,000 people killed and more than 27,000 wounded. More than 1.4 million residents of Donbas are now internally displaced persons.

“The seized areas turned into a land of fear and terror,” Kyslytsya noted.

According to him, local economy destroyed, equipment of enterprises wrecked or moved to Russia. More than 3.4 million people need humanitarian assistance this year. On top of that, this territory, according to the UN, has already become one of the most mine-contaminated in the world. Just last year, the Russian Federation sent into the occupied territories of Donbas over 4,000 tonnes of weapons and munitions.

Russia also pursues illegal passportization in the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas — more than 200,000 persons were issued Russian passports there, the Ukrainian deputy foreign minister added.