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Donetsk republic’s residents rally against Kiev’s actions — media

According to the organizer, they seek to bring home to the world community that Kiev fails to fulfil its commitments, in particular the creation and functioning of logistic centers in the buffer zone

MOSCOW, December 25. /TASS/. At least 700 residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) have staged a rally at the Elenovka border checkpoint protesting against Kiev’s actions which hamper implementation of the Minsk accords, the Donetsk news agency said on Friday.

"The protesters seek to bring home to the world community that Ukraine fails to fulfil its commitments, in particular the creation and functioning of logistic centres in the buffer zone," an organizer of the rally said.

Three control checkpoints on the roads connecting the republic with the towns of Artemovsk, Volnovakha and Kurakhovo controlled by the pro-Kiev forces were not operating at the full capacity, he said.

"The centres were opened partially and for a short period of time," he said. "After they were ‘highlighted’ by Ukrainian media, civilization there was nowhere to be seen. Besides, the infrastructure should have been set up at all control checkpoints between the DPR and Ukraine."

On Thursday, the envoy of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) at the Contact Grout resolving the conflict in eastern Ukraine, Vladislav Deinego, said that creation of control checkpoints that restricted movements of Donbass people contradicted the Constitution.

Deinego said that the pass entry system was "overwhelmingly Ukraine’s initiative."

Talks of the Normandy Four (Russia, Germany, France, Ukraine) leaders on the Ukrainian issue took place in the Belarusian capital Minsk on February 12. Simultaneously, regular talks of the Contact Group were held in Minsk on February 10-12.

The talks ended by adoption of a 13-point package of measures, which contained in particular a ceasefire, withdrawal of heavy weapons, as well as measures on long-term political settlement of the Ukraine crisis, including enforcement of a special self-rule status for certain districts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.