05.06.2018, Moscow.
According to the Deputy Chief of the Operative Command of Donetsk People’s Republic Eduard Basurin, Kiev plans to form a military force to fight partisans and carry out “clearing” operations among Donbass civilians, the Zvezda TV channel reported on June 5.
The strength of the force could reach 5,000 soldiers. Ukrainian military and political leaders decided to form the force because the existing units cannot efficiently counter partisans. The new military formations, according to DPR’s intelligence service, may include not only militants from radical groups, but also people with criminal records who are serving prison terms.
“In particular, a recruiting campaign for ‘new professional soldiers’ is to take place in the prisons and detention facilities of Dnepropetrovsk and Kharkov regions,” Zvezda reports citing Basurin.
According to reports from military experts, the overall performance of the Ukrainian army has been on the rise in the recent years. However, Ukrainian army servicemen’s morale and discipline are critically poor. A high level of conflict between different military formations regularly results in non-battle casualties, which are estimated by the Ukrainian authorities at between 3,000 to 10,000 soldiers.
The Ukrainian army’s attempts to make such breakthroughs using tanks two weeks ago failed. The Ukrainian army had to retreat with casualties.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
