MOSCOW, March 30. /TASS/. Ukrainian forces have moved artillery, heavy weaponry, ammunition and volunteer battalions to the contact line on Gorlovka and Mariupol directions, the spokesman for defense ministry of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Eduard Basurin said on Wednesday.
"DPR intelligence continues registering movement and build-up of military weaponry along the contact line," Donetsk News Agency quoted Basurin as saying.
He noted that Ukrainian forces moved five self-propelled artillery systems, three Grad multiple-launch rocket systems, six infantry fighting vehicles, ammunition and five Kamaz trucks to the settlements of Zaytsevo, Novogorodskoye, Mayorsk and Mirnoye.
Basurin also said that the situation near Yasinovataya to the north of Donetsk has considerably deteriorated lately. "Ukraine has started using heavy weaponry on DPR territory more often, including artillery of 152mm caliber, and the situation in the region deteriorated," the spokesman concluded.
The Contact Group signed the key package of measures for peaceful settlement in Donbass, known as Minsk-2, on February 12. Under the document, the sides are to withdraw heavy weapons from the contact line, namely artillery systems of 100mm caliber or more to the distance of at least 50 km, multiple rocket launcher systems (MLRS) to the distance of 70 km and most powerful Tornado-S, Uragan and Smerch MLRS, as well as tactical missile systems Tochka/Tochka U to the distance of 140 km. In late September 2015, a supplement to the Minsk-2 package was signed on withdrawing weapons under 100mm caliber to the distance of 15 km from the contact line.