All news

Ukrainian military open fire on Gorlovka, Yasinovataya, houses damaged

The spokesman of the Lugansk People’s republic defence authotiry have informed, that Ukrainian Armed Forces for a day have let out on positions of national militia almost 300 shells

DONETSK, March 12. /TASS/. The Ukrainian military opened fire on Zaitsevo (north of Gorlovka), one house burned down, acting head of the local administration Ivan Prikhodko said on Sunday.

"Yesterday, Zaitsevo was shelled, one private house burned down," the Donetsk News Agency quoted him. The official said there was no information about the injured or victims.

Yasinovataya’s head of the administration Oleg Morgun said units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Saturday evening shelled Krutaya Balka, where "two houses were destroyed." No victims among civilians, he added.

Spokesman of the Lugansk People’s republic (LPR) defense authority Andrei Marochko said the Ukrainian military over the past 24 hours launched on the militia’s positions in the LPR almost 300 shells.

"They have launched the total of 285 mines and shells," LuganskInformCenter quoted him.

The situation in the area of the militia’s responsibility remains complicated, he added.

On February 15, the Contact Group made another decision stipulating that all weapons banned by the Minsk agreements should be withdrawn from the line of contact by February 20. Foreign ministers of the four member states of the Normandy Quartet (Russia, France, Germany and Ukraine) upheld this initiative at a meeting that took place on February 18. However, according to the self-proclaimed republics, Kiev has been hampering the implementation of this decision. The Ukrainian authorities, in turn, have been accusing the self-proclaimed republics of violating the ceasefire.

Since the autumn of 2014, members of the Contact Group on settling the situation in eastern Ukraine have announced ceasefires in Donbass more than ten times. However, the Ukrainian military have been repeatedly violating ceasefires, particularly using large caliber guns, mortars and tanks that should be withdrawn from the line of contact in accordance with the Minsk agreements.

At the recent meeting of the Contact Group, held on March 1, the parties agreed to resume the weapons withdrawal process on March 7. However, the Ukrainian military refused to begin withdrawal under pretext of insecurity in the region.