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Ukrainian troops attacked DPR shielding with international combat engineers - Agency

On August 24-25, the parties to the conflict agreed to a ceasefire in Krasnogorovka, controlled by Kiev, and Staromikhailovka, controlled by the DPR

DONETSK, August 25. /TASS/. The Ukrainian Armed Forces (UAF) have opened fire on communities of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), having shielded themselves with experts from an international mine clearance mission, said Daniil Bezsonov, head of the press service of the DPR armed forces, on Saturday.

On August 24-25, the parties to the conflict agreed to a ceasefire in Krasnogorovka, controlled by Kiev, and Staromikhailovka, controlled by the DPR, for mine clearance works by employees from the HALO Trust humanitarian mine clearance organization.

"We strictly observed the declared agreements, but the UAF used it <...> and opened fire with armored vehicles on the community of Staromikhailovka," the Donetsk News Agency quoted the defense official as saying.

Bezsonov also reported that he addressed international observers, asking them to register the fact that Ukraine’s forces opened fire during the work of HALO Trust experts and take "the harshest measures against the violators."

The DPR earlier repeatedly reported attacks by Ukraine’s forces during the operation of international missions there. So, on August 17 the UAF carried out attacks on Staromikhailovka while a convoy of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) was staying there after the delivery of humanitarian supplies to the residents.

Sabotage attempt in LPR

Police officers in the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) have prevented a sabotage attempt that Ukraine’s militants plotted to commit near an electric substation in the Lugansk automotive market area, the Center for Public Relations (CPR) of the republic’s Interior Ministry said on Saturday.

"On August 24, 2018, LPR law enforcement officers detected and cleared a home-made explosive device that had been planted near an electric substation located in the Lugansk city automotive market area," the CPR told the Lugansk News Agency. "The home-made explosive device, which had been planted in a crowded area, could lead to civilian deaths if detonated."

The bomb was packed with parts of metal pipes and pipe accessories and was intended "to bring the electric substation out of operation and cut power supplies in some Lugansk city districts," the law enforcement authorities said. "According to the Kiev militants’ plan, this sabotage on Ukraine’s Independence Day could destabilize the socio-political situation in the republic," the Interior Ministry noted.

The ministry stressed that Ukrainian intelligence services made repeated attempts to commit acts of terror and sabotage, in particular in the run-up to their own state holidays.