MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Kiev forces are concerned over the possibility of radioactive waste materials leaking from a storage site in the Donetsk area in Ukraine’s southeast, Ukrainian Maj. Gen. Andriy Taran said.
"The radioactive waste storage site near Donetsk is a cause of great concern," Taran was quoted as saying in a Facebook statement posted by the headquarters of Kiev’s special military operation in southeastern Ukraine.
"This situation is causing great concern of the Ukrainian side, because there is a possibility of leakage of radioactive elements that are very dangerous to the health and life of a large number of civilians in the region," Taran stressed.
The Maj. Gen. also called on the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE) to monitor the radiation background in the area as he informed the observers of the potential radiation leak during a Saturday meeting.
On Sunday, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) reported several ceasefire violations in the Donetsk airport area.
The Donetsk Airport was one of the hotspots of fighting between Kiev forces and independence supporters at the start of this year.
In mid-February, Kiev and the self-proclaimed people’s republics of Lugansk and Donetsk (LPR and DPR) signed a ceasefire agreement after talks in the Belarusian capital, Minsk. However, both sides have since repeatedly accused each other of violating the deal.
