VIENNA (Sputnik) – The Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has observed the movement of heavy weapons in southeastern Ukraine, a volatile region which has seen sporadic fighting between independence supporters and Kiev forces despite a ceasefire currently being in force.
"At 15:00hrs [on Wednesday] the SMM received a letter from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, saying Ukrainian Armed Forces heavy weapons would be placed on the contact line in order to deal with the ‘real threat’ posed by the fighting in [the government-controlled town of] Marinka, which they said had started at 06:00hrs that morning," OSCE observers said in a Thursday spot report.
The SMM observed the movement of heavy weapons and fighting around Marinka, as well as other areas in the Donetsk region on Wednesday morning.
"Ukrainian officials later publicly acknowledged that the weapons had been used, saying their use was necessary in thwarting a ‘DPR’ [self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic] attack," the SMM report said.
Both Kiev forces and DPR confirmed to the SMM on Wednesday night that Marinka remained under government control.
The fighting comes amid a ceasefire in force in southeastern Ukraine since February.
This is the second truce agreed upon by Kiev forces and DPR and LPR (Lugansk People’s Republic) since the start of Kiev’s special military operation in Ukraine’s southeast in mid-April, 2014.
The first ceasefire, introduced in September, 2014, failed to hold.
Both of the ceasefire agreements were reached during peace talks in the Belarusian capital, Minsk. The Minsk agreements stipulate that OSCE observers constantly monitor the situation in Ukraine's southeast.
