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Kiev stepping up military activities against civilians, Russian envoy says

The Russian envoy also noted that Donbass remained under an economic and transport blockade

MOSCOW, July 21. /TASS/. Kiev is stepping up its military activities, including against civilians, Russian Envoy to the Contact Group on resolving the situation in Donbass Boris Gryzlov told reporters following the group’s meeting on Wednesday.

"The Kiev authorities are stepping up military activities, particularly against civilians. Recently, on July 16, the Ukrainian military carried out a terrorist attack on a gas pipeline in the Budennovsky district of Donetsk," he pointed out.

The Russian envoy stressed that Kiev was reluctant to comply with an indefinite ceasefire deal made two years ago, as well as with last year’s agreement on measures to ensure the ceasefire and use a mechanism to verify and respond to ceasefire violations.

"According to the reports that the Special Monitoring Mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE SMM) issued on July 5-18, the Ukrainian military damaged dozens of civilian facilities in Donbass, including homes and a school building. Besides, the mission recorded a case of the Ukrainian military’s use of a home, which is a violation of the measures to ensure the ceasefire that poses a direct threat to the lives and health of civilians," Gryzkov stressed.

The Russian envoy also noted that Donbass remained under an economic and transport blockade.

"I am confident that the unconditional implementation of the Minsk Agreements, which include a ceasefire and political dialogue between Kiev and Donbass, remains the only way to resolve the conflict in Ukraine," Gryzlov emphasized.

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