Donetsk, Feb 11 - DAN. The Ukrainian leadership aims to resolve the Donbass conflict by force, Donetsk People’s Republic Head Denis Pushilin said at a press conference in Donetsk on Friday.

“Ukraine is getting more insolent; probably not for nothing as it is drawing a plan for seizing Donbass by force and military resolution of the conflict,” Pushilin said. “Ukraine has such a plan. If we look at the latest events and the forces and hardware on the contact line, everything becomes clear: Ukraine is preparing for war.”

Tensions in Donbass 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. The DPR militia said that enemy group had been reinforced with radicals, multiple launch rocket systems and NATO weapons. Drills by chemical warfare troops were reported as well. *jk