Updated 9:23 p.m. Moscow time
MOSCOW, October 12 (RIA Novosti) - The number of monitors from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) mission in eastern Ukraine has been increased to 1,500, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said in an address released on his official website on Sunday.
"I have addressed [the OSCE] and received a positive answer, that the OSCE has increased the number of monitors to 1,500 personnel," the statement read.
In September, the head of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine Ertugrul Apakan said the size of the mission would be extended to a maximum of 500 monitors, as stipulated by the mission's mandate.
In mid-April, Kiev authorities launched a military operation in eastern Ukraine attempting to suppress independence supporters of the eastern regions. According to UN data, almost 3,700 people have been killed and more than 8,800 have been wounded since the start of the confrontation.
On September 5, a ceasefire was reached during a meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine in Minsk, with a memorandum specifying steps for the ceasefire implementation being adopted on September 19.
The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine was deployed in late March following a request to the OSCE by Ukraine’s government and a consensus agreement by all 57 OSCE participating States. The monitors are to contribute to reducing tensions and fostering peace, stability and security in Ukraine.
