OREANDA-NEWS Russia should support the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics by sending certain types of weapons there. Such an appeal was made by the first Vice-speaker of the Federation Council Andrei Turchak, TASS reports.

"I believe that in these conditions, Russia should provide the Luhansk and Donetsk People's Republics with the necessary assistance in the form of supplies of certain types of weapons to increase their defense capability and deter Kiev's military aggression," he said.

Prior to that, the head of the DNR Denis Pushilin announced the readiness of the republic for aggressive actions by Kiev. A number of exercises have already been conducted in the region and joint actions between emergency services have been worked out, he stressed.

Earlier, the representative of the People's Militia of the self-proclaimed DNR Eduard Basurin said that Ukrainian radicals and nationalists are recruiting volunteers to participate in the military conflict in the Donbass.

On January 24, it became known that a Ukrainian security officer had blown up on a mine in the area of the Kiev-controlled settlement of Novotoshkovskoye near the contact line in Donbass. He received numerous injuries.

Also on January 24, the deputy head of the Communist Party faction Nikolai Kolomeitsev announced that the Council of the Duma of the Russian Federation will discuss an appeal to President Vladimir Putin to recognize the LNR and the DNR as independent.