Inadmissible to use ceasefire to fortify positions, Russia’s envoy to Minsk talks says

MINSK, July 11. /TASS/. Russia stands against the ceasefire to be used for fortifying positions along the contact line in Donbass, Russia’s Plenipotentiary Representative to the Contact Group Boris Gryzlov said on Wednesday.

"It runs counter to both the civilians’ security and the demining efforts which the Contact Group focused on today," he said summing up results of a regular meeting of the Contact Group seeking peace for eastern Ukraine.

Gryzlov noted that at Wednesday’s meeting, the Contact Group pondered over implementation of the so-called ‘harvest ceasefire,’ which was approved at the previous meeting and came into force on July 1.

"[We] can state the situation has largely improved along the contact line," he said. "The adopted decisions allowed creating a new starting point for monitoring the ceasefire."

"Nevertheless, a range of issues remain unsolved. For nearly two years, there has been a 22-week-long period of ‘silence’ near Stanitsa Luganskaya, which is confirmed by OSCE SMM reports," he continued. "However, despite the fact, disengagement has not been carried out there yet. Ukraine’s Armed Forces are constantly derailing the process under invented pretexts."

"In addition, Ukrainian Armed Forces’ attempts to concentrate heavy weapons near the contact line and in the areas where the disengagement of forces has already taken place are extremely dangerous and provocative," the Russian envoy said.

"There is intelligence that more mines have been laid in some areas and that more snipers have been placed at the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ positions," he added. "Attention of the OSCE representatives has been drawn to this fact and we suggested that they should give a more resolute response to similar cases."

"Russia stands against the ceasefire to be used as a pretext for additional fortification of positions along the contact line," Gryzlov emphasized.

The Contact Group declared another ceasefire at a meeting in Minsk on June 27. The sides pledge to start implementing the ceasefire from July 1 amid the beginning of the harvest season.