'Elections' in DPR and LPR a sign of Russia's reluctance to implement Minsk agreements - Turchynov

Verkhovna Rada Speaker Oleksandr Turchynov has said that the "elections" held in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics are a sign of the Russian side's reluctance to implement the Minsk agreements and that the only option to defend Ukraine's territorial integrity is to raise the level of defense capability.

According to a statement posted on the parliament's website on Monday, Turchynov commented on the so-called "elections" held on November 2: "Russia and its mercenaries completely reject a peaceful solution to the problem by ignoring the agreements that were reached in Minsk."

"The only formula to defend the country's territorial integrity and inviolability is to raise the level of the state's defense capability, our military potential, and to provide our armed forces, National Guard and special battalions with modern weapons and equipment," Turchynov said, adding that there is currently no other way to defend and liberate the occupied territories.