"Ukrainskaya Pravda" reports that troops have been rotated and "strengthened" at Checkpoint 31, in Luhansk, with regular army troops replacing National Guardsmen, according to @EuromaidanPR. The checkpoint regularly comes under rebel fire and reportedly received an ultimatum on Monday from separatists demanding that Ukrainian national soldiers there surrender their weapons and abandon their posts.
More primping and prepping ahead of the planned "inauguration" of Zakharchenko in Donetsk today.
TASS quotes Donetsk rebel leader Denis Pushilin as describing Ukrainian President Poroshenko's suggestion that Kyiv would be reexamining its strategy vis-a-vis the breakaway regions as "hysteria."
"This looks more like Kiev's hysteria. The point is that elections passed with a high voter turnout and all observers noted that polls were valid. In this situation Kiev will exert different types of pressure. We are waiting for a meeting of the Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council, but hope that Kiev politicians will have enough common sense to start talks with leaders of the Donetsk People's Republic which people placed trust in," Pushilin said.
Today's map from the Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council:
Meanwhile, at the "inauguration" ceremony in downtown rebel-held Donetsk:
Our newsroom reports that Poroshenko's meeting with Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council is scheduled to start at 2:00 3:00 p.m. UTC.