Kiev will send reinforcements to key Ukrainian cities to prevent potential attacks from Russia-backed separatists, President Petro Poroshenko said on Monday. He also called on Ukraine’s parliament to rescind a law giving special status to the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in the east of the country, much of which is under the control of separatists. Kiev essentially has no control over rebel authorities in the east, who held their own elections over the weekend and have suggested they may attempt to capture other cities in the region, such as the port city of Mariupol. At a meeting of the country’s security council, Poroshenko said the reinforcements would be for the ‘construction of fortifications’ against a ‘possible offensive in the direction of Mariupol, Berdyansk, Kharkiv and Luhansk north’. Speaking earlier he said he would ask the council and parliament to end the ‘special status’ law for rebellious eastern regions, agreed as part of a ceasefire deal in September.