The Interior Ministry's press service told the Kyiv Post on 13 December that the pro-government rally received permission to have up to 200,000 in attendance.[1] According to Zerkalo Nedeli, one of the nation's most influential newspapers, the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine and government ordered the Ministry of Defense to aid in the provision of security, logistics, deployment of field kitchens, and transportation of 200,000 civilians to hold a pro-government rally in Kiev on the weekend of 14–15 December.[40] The Ministry of Internal Affairs is said to have been requested to aid in the security for those coming to Kiev from other regions of the country.[40] The report was covered in the media by The Insider,[41] UNIAN,[42] and Ukrayinska Pravda.[43] The Minister of Defense later denied these rumors, citing Article 17 and Article 37 of the Ukrainian Constitution, which prohibits the participation of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in domestic political fights.[44] Despite this, on 13 December tents were seen being set up on property owned by the Ministry of Defense,[45] and in a separate report by Zerkalo Nedeli it was revealed that the Ministry of Defense had been conducting training exercises over the previous two days, including taking inventory of equipment (ex. field kitchens, vehicles) for support of the pro-governmental protests.