OSCE Calls for Urgent Negotiations Amid Intensifying Fighting in Donbass

© AP Photo / Evgeniy MaloletkaA convoy of Ukrainian military
A convoy of Ukrainian military - Sputnik International
Subscribe
The OSCE mission noted increasing ceasefire violations in Ukraine’s eastern Donbass region.

Ukrainian servicemen guard their position in the village of Shirokino near Mariupol, eastern Ukraine, Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015 - Sputnik International
Preparing for War? 11 Countries to Supply Lethal Weapons to Ukraine
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Expressing concern over mounting tensions in eastern Ukraine, Deputy Chief Monitor of OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission Alexander Hug called on all sides on Friday to urgently resume peace negotiations.

New clashes erupted in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday after Kiev troops had launched an offensive against local independence supporters along the separation line in the region. The fighting occurred in the town of Marinka just outside the city of Donetsk.

Ukrainian servicemen take position at the front line outside Kurahovo, in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, Wednesday, March 11, 2015 - Sputnik International
Donetsk Leader Reports 'Huge Losses' of Kiev Forces Amid New Clashes
“We urgently call on all sides to return to the negotiation table,” Hug said in a briefing before the UN Security Council.

According to the deputy chief monitor, the OSCE mission has noted increasing ceasefire violations in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.

“Developments around Marinka are worrying, suggesting that a military track has not been abandoned for a political one,” he said, stressing that civilians continue to suffer in the conflict.

Donetsk update - Sputnik International
Ukraine's General Staff Admits Using Artillery Banned by Minsk Agreements
Earlier in the day, the leader of the eastern Ukrainian self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, said some 400 Kiev troops had been killed and 60 pieces of equipment destroyed in battles near Marinka, while Donetsk forces had lost 15 soldiers and 30 had been injured in the clashes.

Ukrainian officials publicly acknowledged the use of heavy artillery by Kiev in the fighting, in violation of the Minsk peace agreements.

In February, the warring sides in Ukraine agreed to maintain a ceasefire and withdraw heavy weapons from the line of contact but the hostilities continued. The Minsk agreements stipulate that OSCE observers are tasked with constantly monitoring the situation in Ukraine's southeast.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала