DONETSK, September 7 (RIA Novosti) – The situation in Ukraine's Donbas region remains tense as Kiev government forces are violating the ceasefire agreement reached at the meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine in Minsk, the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said Sunday.
“The situation has not changed in any significant way in the course of the day and remains tense. Separate units of the Ukrainian forces, practically not controlled by Kiev, have stepped up provocations with the aim of gaining tactical advantage in a number of areas, as well as sabotaging the agreements reached at the talks of the Contact Group in Minsk,” the DPR headquarters said.
During the September 5 meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine, representatives from Ukraine, Russia and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), agreed to a ceasefire between Kiev and independence supporters that started at 15:00 GMT the same day.
On Sunday, the DPR stated that Ukrainian troops had repeatedly shelled militia positions and that residents of Donetsk reported hearing regular gunshots in the city on Saturday and Sunday.
The Ukrainian military has stressed that it was fully complying with the ceasefire agreement reached in Minsk and accused militia forces of attempting to attack the Donetsk airport and opening fire on a number of Ukrainian military positions.
Ukraine has been immersed in an internal conflict since mid-April, when Kiev government forces launched a military operation against independence supporters in the country’s southeastern regions.
