Almost 150 Pieces of Military Equipment Disappear From Ukrainian Depots

The Russian envoy to the OSCE said that over the past month almost 150 pieces of military equipment, missile systems, and other large-caliber artillery have disappeared from Ukraine’s depots.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Almost 150 pieces of military equipment and large-caliber artillery have disappeared from Ukraine’s ammunition depots over the past month, Russia’s envoy to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) said.

“The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission [in Ukraine] has witnessed that serious preparation by the Ukrainian side were apparent before tensions intensified in Donbass. The Ukrainian Armed Forces held a mass rotation of its units and subunits. Old and worn-out equipment was replaced with new pieces of armament.”

“Between December 25, 2015, and January 15, 2016, 145 pieces of military equipment, missile systems, and other large-caliber artillery have disappeared from Ukraine’s depots,” Alexander Lukashevich was quoted as saying in a statement published on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s official website.

Kiev is unable to hold a ceasefire in eastern Ukraine despite agreements in the Contact Group on reconciliation reached on January 13, Lukashevich added.

“Unfortunately, the respected representative from Ukraine, using anti-Russian rhetoric, has only made an attempt at making excuses for the Ukrainian authorities’ incapability of fulfilling the Complex of Measures. No one can be tricked by this. It’s completely clear that the ball is in Ukraine’s court.”

According to Lukashevich, “Kiev was incapable of fulfilling the orders of a ceasefire regardless of the agreements reached by the Contact Group on January 13.”