Ukraine claims to have ‘cleared’ large swathes of the east
Picture: AFP
Kyiv. Ukraine’s government claimed to be gaining the upper hand over separatist rebels on Friday, declaring that security forces had “cleared” large swathes of the east of the country, Daily Telegraph reports.
The upbeat assessment from Kyiv coincided with signs that Russia had abandoned the threat of a conventional invasion of eastern Ukraine, with Nato confirming that about two thirds of the forces massed near the border have been withdrawn.
Mykahailo Koval, the acting Ukrainian defence minister, said in Kyiv that morale remained high, despite the deaths of 12 servicemen, including a general, when separatists shot down a helicopter on Thursday.
“Our armed forces have completed their assigned missions and completely cleared the southern and western parts of the Donetsk region and the northern part of the Luhansk region of separatists,” said Mr Koval.
But the true extent of the gains made by the government remains unclear. Pro-Russian rebels retain control over their strongholds in the town of Slavyansk and the regional capital of Donetsk.
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