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Ukraine's Luhansk republic says it won't give in to Kiev’s provocations

LPR leader commmented on the episode of shelling a bridge connecting the self-proclaimed republic with the rest of the country

MOSCOW, March 20. /TASS/. The self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic will not give in to provocations of Ukrainian forces in connection with shelling of a bridge near Stanitsa Luganskaya, LPR head Igor Plotnitsky said on Friday.

"We always kept our word and, just like this, we do not intend to violate the Minsk agreements now," Lugansk Inform Center quoted Plotnistky as saying.

On Thursday, Ukrainian forces dealt an artillery strike near Stanitsa Luganskaya, seriously damaging a bridge that connects LPR and Ukraine.

By destroying the bridge, the Ukrainian forces deprived local residents of another transport corridor connecting the self-proclaimed republic and Ukraine, head of LPR’s people’s militia headquarters Sergey Kozlov said. "There is only one corridor left - Lugansk-Schastye-Novoaidar," Kozlov said.

Donetsk republic to observe peace deals

The self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) will continue observing the Minsk agreements reached by the Contact Group in February, DPR envoy to Contact Group Denis Pushilin told journalists on Friday.

"We are very upset by Kiev’s blatant lies, but we should not give in to emotions. We intend to act in the framework of peaceful settlement, but we will not allow the losing party - Ukraine - unilaterally dictate how to live our peaceful lives," Pushilin was quoted by the Donetsk News Agency as saying.

"The situation is developing rather fast. Yesterday, the UN Security Council convened to discuss non-compliance with the Minsk agreements. Now, the main thing is what will follow, how the leaders of the ‘Normandy Quartet’ will assess the actions of Kiev. We, of course, have to wait for their assessments to determine our own further steps. Of course, they will be coordinated with the head of the republic. He will make a decision," Pushilin said.

"If everything will come to a naught again" and no pressure is exerted on Kiev, the prospects are rather dire, Pushilin noted. "We will then focus on our state system. Kiev’s actions make is more autonomous and independent," he added.

Minsk deals in danger

The implementation of the Minsk agreements in endangered by Kiev’s actions, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

"The situation is obvious. We see that Kiev is not implementing the Minsk agreements properly. We see a rather tough reaction from DPR and LPR [self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics]. In general, we witness a rather dangerous situation from the point of view of implementing the Minsk agreements," Peskov said.

The Minsk agreements were signed in February 2015 by Russian President Vladimir Putin, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President Francois Hollande and Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko. They envisage ceasefire in Ukraine’s south-east, heavy weaponry withdrawal, prisoner exchange, local elections in Donbas and constitutional reform in Ukraine.