LUGANSK, February 15. /TASS/. Ukrainian security forces specializing in electronic warfare means are working to interfere with the work of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) near the settlements of Zolotoye and Svetlodarsk, the press service of the People's Militia of the Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) reported on Tuesday.
"In the areas of Svitlodarsk and Zolotoye settlements, mobile groups of the 20th Radioelectronic Warfare Battalion using Bukovel-AD stations jammed the control signals of the OSCE mission UAVs to prevent observers from revealing the military equipment positioned in these areas," the message published on the defense department's Telegram channel said.
The people's militia also reported that the Ukrainian army deployed an armored personnel carrier and two armored reconnaissance patrol cars near residential buildings in the Luganskaya settlement. The LPR recalled that the deployment of weapons and military equipment by Kiev's security forces in and around populated areas is a violation of the agreements in force.
Additional measures to control the ceasefire along the contact line in Donbass came into force on July 27, 2020. Under the agreement, the parties to the conflict are banned from using drones of any type near the contact line. Only the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) drones can be used as part of their work. In addition, Donbass and Ukraine have repeatedly traded accusations of obstructing the activities of the monitoring mission.