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Developments in eastern Ukraine

Ukraine military pull back convoys of heavy weapons, restrict monitors’ advance — OSCE

A total of eight 152mm howitzers, three surface-to-air missile launchers, MT-LB five armoured personnel carriers had been withdrawn

OSCE observers watch a multiple launcher being pulled back in eastern Ukraine, Feb.27 Valery Sharifulin/TASS

OSCE observers watch a multiple launcher being pulled back in eastern Ukraine, Feb.27

© Valery Sharifulin/TASS

VIENNA, 5 March. /TASS/. The Special Monitoring Mission /SMM/ to Ukraine of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) reported that Ukrainian military withdrew several columns of heavy weaponry from the line of engagement in eastern Ukraine on March 4, the SMM says in its daily report posted on the OSCE website on Thursday.

A total of eight 152mm howitzers, three surface-to-air missile launchers, MT-LB five armoured personnel carriers had been withdrawn to the area of the town of Soledar in the Donetsk region from Klinovoye and another one locality, the SMM said.

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The mission registered advance of six self-propelled howitzers (including three 122mm) and one armoured personnel carrier (APC), near government-controlled Raigorodka, 34 kilometres north-west of Lugansk.

Another convoy of four self-propelled howitzers was heading towards the locality of Kapitanovo, 50 kilometres north-west of Luhansk, approximately three kilometres from the main road.

On the outskirts of the town of Schastye, 23 kilometres north of Luhansk, the mission saw a truck towing a 122mm howitzer in the western direction and also it "spotted a 152mm self-propelled howitzer, heading from Stanytsia Luhanska in a northerly direction."

At the same time, the SMM underscored that they managed to follow the convoy at a distance of only a few kilometres as the Ukrainian side restricted their advance farther on.

"The SMM could not verify the withdrawal of heavy weapons on this occasion due to a restriction on its freedom of movement," the document says.

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Eastern Ukraine

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