Donetsk, Jan 18 - DAN. The Donbass reintegration bill adopted by Ukraine’s Verkhovnaya Rada (parliament) on Thursday will enable Kiev to step up military confrontation with the People’s Republics, DPR head Alexander Zakharchenko told reporters.

“The law sets loose the Ukrainian military. What they earlier could not do they can do now on ‘legal’ grounds. It’s a complete violation of the Minsk accords,” Zakharchenko said.

By approving the document, Kiev showed its unwillingness to adhere to peaceful settlement. “Ukraine is set to make war and is creating a legal platform for it,” he added.

Earlier on Thursday, Ukrainian lawmakers approved by 280 votes the final reading of the law “On the peculiarities of state policy on the restoration of the state sovereignty of Ukraine over the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine.”

The document recognises Donbass areas as ‘occupied’ territories and calls Russia an “aggressor country.” The law implies that ‘reintegration’ of the region should be accomplished by force. The bill was submitted to the parliament by Ukrainian President Petr Poroshenko on 4 October 2017. *jk