Republics in east Ukraine form united army
Iran Press TV
Wed Sep 17, 2014 9:44AM GMT
The self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics in eastern Ukraine have established a united army.
The new army, whose formation was announced on Tuesday, will be called the United Armed Forces of Novo-rossiya and will unite the armed forces of the two republics.
The force will incorporate all pro-Russian volunteer forces in the region.
According to the Donetsk republic's press service, Lieutenant General Ivan Korsun has been appointed the commander of the joint forces.
The Novo-rossiya army is tasked with seizing all Ukrainian-controlled cities in Donetsk and Luhansk.
The newly-established military force will also protect residents against military attacks and what has been described as capitalists' hostilities.
Donetsk and Luhansk regions formed a joint parliament under a union dubbed Novo-rossiya after locals voted for independence from Ukraine in a referendum back in May.
The development comes as Western governments have accused Russia of deploying more than 1,000 soldiers to fight in Ukraine alongside pro-Kremlin rebels, a charge that Moscow has denied.
Since a ceasefire between Kiev and the pro-Russians on September 5, a swathe of territory on the Russian border, from Lugansk to the Sea of Azov, remains outside Ukrainian control.
Local elections are also scheduled to be held in certain districts of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions on December 7.
Ukraine's mainly Russian-speaking regions in the east have witnessed deadly clashes between pro-Russians and the Ukrainian army since Kiev launched military operations to silence the pro-Russians in mid-April. More than 2,700 people have been killed in the conflict.
MFB/HJL
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