Ukraine’s army ready to resist Russian invasion: Defence minister Reznikov

Ukraine’s Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said Ukraine’s army is ready to meet Russian troops and resist any attack by the Russians.

But he quickly added it is inappropriate to talk about a Russian invasion in the coming days.

“Today, as of this hour, Russia has not formed yet a strike force in any city where it surrounded Ukraine.

Therefore, it is inappropriate, in my opinion, to talk about the attack tomorrow or the day after tomorrow.

But this does not mean that the risks are low, and it does not mean that there is no threat. I want to remind our partners that the threat has existed since 2013,” Reznikov told Ukraine’s 1+1 broadcaster.

Reznikov spoke amid reports of escalated tensions between Ukraine and the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Lugansk in eastern Ukraine.

Sputnik News quoting Donetsk officials claimed Ukrainian forces shelled multiple settlements in DPR in Ukraine east, using 120-mm calibre mortars prohibited by the Minsk agreements.

Sputnik attributed the report to the DPR mission to the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination on the ceasefire regime (JCCC) said.

Earlier in the night, the DPR mission said that Kiev forces had fired twelve 120-mm calibre mortars at the city of Donetsk and four 122-mm shells at the Donetsk suburb of Oleksandrivka.

“The outskirts of Donetsk were also targeted later in the night, with the DPR reporting that Kiev forces had fired four 120-mm calibre mortars at the settlement of Staromykhailivka and twenty four 120-mm calibre mortars at Spartak, another suburb of Donetsk.

“The settlement of Zaitseve in the DPR was also shelled”, the report stated.