Donetsk, Feb 1 - DAN. The General Staff of the Ukrainian armed forces has completed the plan of an offensive operation in Donbass, Donetsk People’s Republic People’s Militia deputy commander Eduard Basurin said on Tuesday citing intelligence reports.

“According to our agents, Ukraine’s General Staff has completed the development of the plan of an offensive in Donbass,” Basurin said. “Earlier, we reported that it was in the works.”

Later this week, chief of the General Staff Sergey Shaptala will present the plan to commander of the Joint Forces Operation Alexander Pavlyuk and the commanders of the “North” and “East” task forces, Dmitry Krasilnikov and Alexander Tarnavsky.

“This plan will await the approval by the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine,” Basurin said.

Earlier reports said that Kiev had been preparing an offensive against Donbass under the supervision of U.S. advisers.

Tensions in the region have been mounting since mid-January. After the New Year and Christmas holidays, Ukrainian forces stepped up strikes in Donbass and began to deploy reinforcements to the region. Earlier, DPR militia said that the enemy group had been reinforced with radicals, multiple launch rocket systems and NATO weapons. Drills by chemical warfare troops were reported as well. Later on, DPR intelligence recorded deliveries of new batches of ammunition to Kiev troops on all axes. *jk