DISINFO: Ukraine is preparing for an attack in the Donbas
SUMMARY
Ukraine is preparing for attacking manoeuvres in the Donbas, so it is actively increasing its military presence near the line of contact between government-controlled and non-government-controlled areas. OSCE observers noted the presence of self-propelled howitzers, tanks, rocket sites, armoured vehicles, military trucks and ambulances at a train station in the government-controlled part of Donetsk.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the war in Ukraine. There is no evidence that Ukraine plans to attack the territorial parts of Donbas that are not controlled by Kyiv. Recent OSCE daily reports did not note any increase in Ukrainian military presence near the line of contact. The organisation's Special Monitoring Mission in Ukraine did note the presence of self-propelled howitzers at the train station on 4 June, but it did not mention the other military hardware listed by the article. The report also mentioned that there were self-propelled howitzers and tanks in a training area in the non-government-controlled region of Luhansk. President Zelenskyy has been stressing on numerous occasions that his main strategic goal and first and foremost task as Ukraine's president, is to achieve a peaceful settlement of the war in Donbas as soon as possible. On 13 October 2019, he underlined that “ending the war in Donbas” is a priority for the Ukrainian government. To accomplish this task, Ukraine has fulfilled all preparatory steps, such as the withdrawal of troops on three sites, necessary to hold the meeting in the “Normandy format”. Moreover, in September, Ukraine and Russia conducted the prisoner swap and agreed to exchange all prisoners soon. Ukraine had also agreed to sign the so-called Steinmeier formula which was again confirmed by President Zelenskyy on the “Normandy Four” summit.