Pro-Russian Press Release in Donetsk at 2105 CET 15.08.14

Ukrainian troops have been slowly encircling Donetsk, the regional hub with a peacetime population of nearly a million.

But the Donetsk rebel leader seemed upbeat and spoke of the counter attack.

 

“Now we will lift the siege of Luhansk. I think by tonight the siege (of Luhansk) will be over, but I won't talk about the second phase of our counter attack”, said Alexander Zakharchenko, the head of the Donetsk People's republic at a news conference in Donetsk tonight.