Kiev used the recent martial law in order to boost its military contingent near the contact line in Donbas, Andrei Marochko, the spokesman for the militia of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), said on Thursday.

LUHANSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 27th December, 2018) Kiev used the recent martial law in order to boost its military contingent near the contact line in Donbas, Andrei Marochko, the spokesman for the militia of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), said on Thursday.

The 30-day martial law that was in force in 10 Ukrainian regions ended on Wednesday. It was declared after Ukraine's military vessels illegally crossed the Russian maritime border as they sailed toward the Kerch Strait, the entrance to the Sea of Azov. The Ukrainian vessels and their crews were detained by Russia after failing to respond to a lawful demand to stop.

"Having analyzed this period [of time], one can conclude that the Ukrainian military and political leadership used the martial law in order to boost forces and equipment along the whole contact line," Marochko told reporters.

He added that these activities of Kiev were portrayed as "achievements in boosting the national defense capabilities" and resulted in significant consequences for Ukrainian civilians.

The conflict in Donbas started in 2014, when the Ukrainian authorities launched a military operation against the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and LPR, which had refused to recognize the new government in Kiev that came to power after what they considered to be a coup.

In February 2015, the warring parties signed the Minsk peace accords to end the fighting in the region, but the situation has remained tense, with both parties accusing each other of ceasefire violations.