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Ukraine bans bus, truck traffic with self-proclaimed Lugansk republic

On January 13 an accident occurred with a bus en route from the city of Donetsk to Zlatoustlovka, killing 12 civilians and wounding another 16

© Michael Pochuev / TASS

KIEV, January 17. /TASS/. Ukraine is determined to cancel as of Monday the bus and truck traffic connecting the country with the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), Governor of the Lugansk region Gennady Moskal put the statement on his website on Saturday.

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The ban on bus and truck traffic followed a sharp deterioration of the situation, and that is why the checkpoints on several roads leading to the LPR will be closed for buses and trucks as of January 19, the governor said.

Moskal said medical, rescue, funeral and other special categories of transport would not fall under the ban along with cars which would be permitted to pass through the checkpoints after inspections.

On January 13 an accident occurred with a bus en route from the city of Donetsk to Zlatoustlovka, killing 12 civilians and wounding another 16.

Kiev says the bus came under shelling with the multiple launch rocket systems fired by the militias of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).

At the same time, the DPR has denied its involvement in the accident and has claimed the deaths resulted from a provocation on the Ukrainian side.

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