Donetsk, Nov 27 - DAN. Kiev’s armed formations might step up fighting in the Donbass anytime, the Donetsk People’s Republic Office at the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination (JCCC) said.

The situation along the whole contact line remains stably tense; Ukrainian armed formations might step up fighting any minutes,” head of the DPR Office Ruslan Yakubov told the Donetsk News Agency.

The increasing incidence of strikes at the DPR by Ukrainian forces which also use heavy weapons is a sign of a possible crisis. “The enemy has used mortars 11 times since November 25, firing 23 120mm mines and 20 82mm mines,” Yakubov said.

The DPR militia also recorded the reinforcement of Ukrainian troops with forces and hardware along the whole contact line. On Tuesday, the press centre of the so-called Joint Forces Operation reported that Ukrainian units had gone on red alert.

“These facts show that Ukraine’s political and military leadership does not follow a peaceful settlement of the conflict. Ukrainian armed formation continue to provoke escalation trying to force the Republic’s defenders into returning fire,” Yakubov said.

The Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council suggested that martial law be imposed because of the Kerch Strait situation. In the evening of November 26, Ukraine’s Verkhovnaya Rada (parliament) reviewed and approved this bill. Under the document, Ukraine imposes martial law in ten regions for 30 days starting 10:00 a.m. on November 28.

DPR authorities believe that tensions might mount in the conflict zone following the introduction of martial law in Ukraine.

Martial law is imposed across Ukraine or some of its areas in accordance with the law “On the Legal Regime of Martial Law” to provide military authorities and leadership with unlimited power.*jk