Zelenskyi’s office reacted to information about the shellfire by occupiers that could cause fires in the Luhansk region

The Office of the President (OP) stressed in the statement.

Over a hundred points of fire were recorded in the region last night. The fires spread quickly because of the strong gusty wind. So far, they have extinguished dozens of outbreaks. "As of now, there are enough forces and means to eliminate fires," the OP assured.

They pointed out the need to identify the reasons for such a large-scale spread of fire.

"We have viewed the report of the Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova on criminal proceedings initiated on the fact of fires. We also take into account the information about provocative shellfire that the illegal armed groups could carry out from the temporarily occupied territory of our state and cause at least a part of fires in this weather condition on the line of demarcation," the OP stressed.

The Office of the President also draws the attention of people's deputies to take into account the need to increase spending on the defense and security sector of the state, proposed by the government, when discussing and approving the draft state budget for next year. In particular, they are planning to allocate more funds to the State Emergency Service.

"The parliament has repeatedly called for cost-cutting at the expense of our rescuers, and with them, the entire security sector. We see it as particularly irresponsible and cynical. That can only harm the state. Both legislative and executive branches of power must work together only rationally so that the state is always ready to respond effectively to all emergencies," the OP said.

According to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, on September 30, 6 large-scale forest fires broke out along the demarcation line. The most difficult situation is in the area from Stanytsia Luhanska to Severodonetsk, where forest fires have become dangerous for 22 settlements.

The fires killed 4 people (three civilians, 1 forestry worker) and 10 people were hospitalized. 120 people were evacuated. The press center of the Joint Forces Operation stated that armed provocations by the occupants with the use of tracer bullets caused large-scale forest fires in the Luhansk region.