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Developments in eastern Ukraine

Donetsk republic says unilaterally declares Shirokino demilitarized zone

The control over the situation should be handed over to the OSCE monitoring mission that "will be the guarantor of peace and calm, DPR's official representative said

© EPA/ANASTASIA VLASOVA

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Kiev security forces violate ceasefire 12 times in Donetsk — DPR

MOSCOW, July 1. /TASS/. The authorities of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic have decided to consider the village of Shirokino in eastern Ukraine a demilitarized zone, the official representative of the republic, Denis Pushilin, said on Wednesday.

"As a good will gesture and a demonstration of peaceful aims, the leadership of the Donetsk People’s Republic has decided to unilaterally regard the village of Shirokino a demilitarized zone," Pushilin was quoted by the Donetsk news agency as saying.

"The DPR armed forces have received orders not to open even a return fire in this direction," he said.

Pushilin explained that the DPR strictly complies with the commitments under the Minsk peace process. However, the shellings of the republic’s territory from the Ukrainian side have not ended, and the most difficult situation is in Shirokino.

"In order to stabilize the situation in Shirokino, we propose creating a demilitarized zone in the area of this settlement," said Pushilin, who is also deputy speaker of the DPR's People's Council.

The control over the situation should be handed over to the OSCE monitoring mission that "will be the guarantor of peace and calm."

The issue of Shirokino demilitarization has been one of the most challenging as part of the agreements on withdrawing weapons with a caliber of under 100 mm.

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