Russian-separatist forces rehearsing military parade, assuring equipment ‘not combat-ready’

The central city street – Artema Street – has been closed to traffic, the military equipment has started rolling as part of the rehearsal, an Interfax correspondent reported from the scene.

“All the equipment we are using for the May 9 parade is not combat-ready,” deputy head of the Donetsk operative command Eduard Basurin told Interfax on April 5.

It was reported earlier that the mission of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe would regard the showcasing of heavy weapons in Donetsk and Luhansk on May 9, as a violation of the Minsk agreements.

Kyiv, too, said, redeployment of military equipment to Donetsk for the May 9 parade constitutes a direct violation of the Minsk agreements.