"In fact, the situation was quite tense and serious in the Donbas conflict zone this year. This was due to the formation of the Russian grouping in the Anti-Terrorist Operation zone. As of today, there are about 40,000 servicemen there, of which 5,000 are regular Russian troops," he said.
Read alsoUkrainian Defense Ministry: 55,000 Russian troops massing near UkraineAccording to Poltorak, Russia has massed about 600 tanks, 1,300 combat vehicles, 860 artillery systems and 300 multiple launch rocket systems in the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas.
"Of course, with this military build-up, it was very difficult to talk about peace, especially with those who do not wish to fulfill the Minsk agreements or is very aggressively against Ukraine," he said.
