UKRAINE, 30 (agencies): Ukrainian forces will press ahead with a military offensive against rebels in the east until peace and order have been restored there, Ukraine's acting defense minister said on Friday.
Speaking after 14 servicemen, including a general, were killed Thursday when rebels shot down an army helicopter, the minister, Mykhailo Koval, said: "Our given task is to bring peace and order to the region."
Repeating charges that Russia was carrying out "special operations" in the east of Ukraine, Koval said Ukrainian forces would continue with military operations in border areas "until these regions begin to live normally, until there is peace."
Meanwhile: Russia has withdrawn most of its troops from the Ukrainian border, but seven battalions, amounting to thousands of men, remain, a US defense official said on Friday.
Ukraine army will push on with offensive against rebels
FE Team | Published: May 31, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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