Poroshenko Says Kiev Strengthening Defense Along Donbas Front Line

Kiev is taking additional strategic and tactical, as well as military and political measures to strengthen its defense along the front line in Donbas.

KIEV, January 29 (Sputnik) – The Ukrainian military is holding the entire battlefront strong along the country’s eastern front line and the Kiev leadership is taking all the needed measures to strengthen defense, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Thursday.

“The situation in Donbas, unfortunately, remains extremely tense, our warriors are holding back attacks along the entire front line and we are taking additional strategic and tactical, as well as military and political measures to strengthen our defense,” Poroshenko said.

Some 45,000 draftees in the first nine days of mobilization, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said Thursday.

Ukraine plans to hold three waves of mobilization this year. The first one, intended to draft 50,000 conscripts, began on January 20 and will last 90 days. The second will begin in April.

“A total of 45,000 potential servicemen have passed medical checks and have been officially recruited and sent to training centers,” Poroshenko said. “The mobilization goes as planned.”

Col. Oleksandr Pravdyvets, deputy chief of the mobilization unit at the Ukrainian Army General Staff Mobilization Department, said the country currently had no statistics on draft dodgers.

“However, regional recruiting offices were tasked with compiling lists [of draft dodgers] and hand them over to regional police departments before March 3,” he said.

Earlier this week, Russian President Vladimir Putin noted that many Ukrainians were dodging the mobilization by leaving for Russia to avoid being sent to the conflict zone as "cannon fodder."

Following the president's remarks, the Russian Federal Migration Service extended the maximum period of stay in Russia for Ukrainian citizens of military age to 90 days, with the opportunity of prolonging the stay.