The
republic’s reconnaissance reported the Ukrainian military had pulled heavy
weapons and trucks with armory to Primorskoye and Magdalinovka.
DONETSK,
March 11. /TASS/. The Ukrainian military launched 550 shells and mines on
settlement of the self proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), spokesman of
the republic’s command Eduard Basurin said on Saturday.
"Here
is the amount of weapons, outlawed by the Minsk agreements, the Ukrainian Armed
Forces used against the republic: heavy artillery - 113 shells, mortars of
various calibers - 427 mines," the spokesman said. "The losses were
one serviceman killed."
Under fire
were 14 settlements, he said.
The
republic’s reconnaissance reported the Ukrainian military had pulled heavy
weapons and trucks with armory to Primorskoye and Magdalinovka.
On February
15, the Contact Group made another decision stipulating that all weapons banned
by the Minsk agreements should be withdrawn from the line of contact by
February 20. Foreign ministers of the four member states of the Normandy
Quartet (Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine) upheld this initiative at a
meeting that took place on February 18. However, according to the
self-proclaimed republics, Kiev has been hampering the implementation of this
decision. The Ukrainian authorities, in turn, have been accusing the
self-proclaimed republics of violating the ceasefire.
Since the
autumn of 2014, members of the Contact Group on settling the situation in
eastern Ukraine have announced ceasefires in Donbass more than ten times.
However, the Ukrainian military have been repeatedly violating ceasefires,
particularly using large caliber guns, mortars and tanks that should be
withdrawn from the line of contact in accordance with the Minsk agreements.
At the
recent meeting of the Contact Group, held on March 1, the parties agreed to
resume the weapons withdrawal process on March 7. However, the Ukrainian
military refused to begin withdrawal under pretext of insecurity in the region.
Source: ITAR-TASS 12-03-2017
