DONETSK, September 15./TASS/. Representatives from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) have demanded from Kiev compliance with the agreement on additional measures to control the ceasefire, in particular its provision banning offensive operations, the DPR mission to the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of the ceasefire said after a video conference of the Contact Group’s security subgroup on Tuesday.
At the conference, "republic’s representatives focused on violations by Ukrainian armed units of additional measures to strengthen and control the ceasefire, in particular its first point, banning offensive operations," the report said.
According to the DPR, between September 2 and 15, fire on the republic was opened six times, but "from the enforcement of additional measures on July 27, 2020 and until September 15, 41 incidents were reported of engineering work on positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces along the entire line of contact".
It expressed specific concerns over the situation in the area of Shuma settlement, saying that the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission had confirmed that a fire trench of the Kiev troops was being extended in the area of Shuma.
DPR envoy to the security subgroup, Alexei Nikonorov, stressed that the decisions passed by the Contact Group were binding, otherwise the ceasefire would be jeopardized.
"Because of the Ukrainian side’s general refusal to act in line with the earlier assumed commitments and the absence of consensus of the sides on compliance with the additional measures, the session of the security working group ended ahead of time," the report said. The sides failed to get down to coordinating a draft addition to the framework decision on disengagement, as well as activities against mines, it added.
The Contact Group on the settlement of the situation in eastern Ukraine, which held a videoconference meeting on July 22, agreed additional measures to control the ceasefire along the contact line in Donbass that came in force from July 27. The agreement came a year after the so-called indefinite ceasefire was declared by the parties on July 21, 2019 following more than 20 futile attempts to stop hostilities. Under the agreement, the parties to the conflict are banned to stage offensive and reconnaissance operations, use any types of drones, open fire, including from sniper weapons, and deploy heavy weapons in populated localities and addition engineering equipment at their positions. One of the key provisions is the use of disciplinary measures for ceasefire violations.