New military operation in eastern Ukraine won't escalate hostilities: commander

KIEV, May 2 (Xinhua) -- The start of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO), a new military operation in eastern Ukraine, will not lead to the escalation of hostilities in the region, JFO commander Serhiy Nayev said Wednesday.

"We came here not to inflame the conflict, but to speed up the end of the conflict," Nayev was quoted as saying by the Ukrainian Defense Ministry's press service.

The JFO is aimed at "establishing peace" in eastern Ukraine and "eliminating dividing lines and artificial barriers, which separate families," he added.

As the priority tasks of the operation, Nayev named resumption of the rule of law in the conflict-affected territories, humanitarian demining, restoration of the infrastructure damaged by the hostilities and reopening of industrial enterprises.

On Monday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree to replace the four-year-long "anti-terror" operation in Donbas ruled by the State Security Service of Ukraine.

The decree was prepared by Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council in accordance with the law on Donbas reintegration.

The controversial law on Donbas reintegration, which defines areas controlled by pro-independence rebels in eastern Ukraine as "temporarily occupied territories," came into force on Feb. 24.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has warned that the legislation could lead to an escalation of the confrontation in Donbas.

The conflict in Ukraine's eastern region of Donbas started in April 2014, after government forces launched offensives to regain control of the cities and towns seized by armed groups which had declared independence from Kiev. Enditem