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Developments in eastern Ukraine

Donetsk militias pull back heavy weapons along four routes

DPR Defence Ministry’s spokesman said the entire pullback process was being carried out under the supervision of the OSCE and the joint control and coordination center

© Valery Sharifulin/TASS

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Heavy weapons pullout only in DPR and LPR — Russian envoy to joint control center

MOSCOW, February 25. /TASS/. The militias of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic are pulling back heavy weapons along four routes, the Donetsk News Agency quotes the press office of the republican Defense Ministry as saying.

"The self-propelled howitzers are being pulled back from Kumachevo, Snezhnoye, Shakhtyorsk and Novoazovsk," the Defense Ministry’s spokesman said. "The units have vacated positions."

On Tuesday, the Donetsk Defence Ministry’s spokesman, Eduard Basurin, said the Donetsk Republic over the previous 24 hours had pulled back five artillery battalions and one separate artillery battery. He added that at that moment there was no evidence the Ukrainian military were withdrawing heavy armaments.

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Basurin said the entire pullback process was being carried out under the supervision of the OSCE and the joint control and coordination center.

The self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk republics made a decision to go ahead with the pullback in accordance with the schedule that had been originally agreed with the Ukrainian side, Basurin said, adding that all Donetsk militias were strictly observing ceasefire instructions.

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Eastern Ukraine

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