DONETSK, August 12. /TASS/. The Ukrainian armed forces sent combat groups to the disengagement line in the south of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), the DPR people’s militia reported on Thursday.

"Nine airborne infantry fighting vehicles (BMD-1) of the 72nd separate mechanized brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces have been spotted in the Petrovskoye-Bogdanovka area of the disengagement line. In addition, seven BTR-DG vehicles (the cargo version of the armored personnel carrier) have been observed to redeploy to the Bogdanovka area," the Donetsk News Agency quoted the militia as saying.

The village of Bogdanovka is located close to the contact line about 40 km southeast of Donetsk and is controlled by the Ukrainian army. The area is one of the three pilot areas for the disengagement of forces and weapons. The framework agreement on the disengagement of forces was signed in 2016. Following this, the first attempt was made to disengage the forces of the DPR and Ukraine. However, Kiev subsequently returned the troops to the positions. A repeat withdrawal of the Ukrainian armed forces succeeded only in November 2019. However, the Ukrainian military’s activity in the area persists to date.

Meanwhile, as the people’s militia of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) reported, a Ukrainian armored personnel carrier was spotted on the disengagement line near the settlement of Zolotoye.

"A BTR-60 armored personnel carrier was observed to deploy in the responsibility area of the Ukrainian armed forces’ 24th brigade near the disengagement area in the settlement of Zolotoye," the news agency LuganskInformCenter quoted the LPR militia as saying.

In this regard, the LPR people’s militia emphasized that the deployment of armaments and military hardware by the Ukrainian military in populated localities was a violation of article three of the Agreement on Additional Measures for Ceasefire Observance and Control.