The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine recorded the widespread use of heavy weapons in the Donbass, which led to an increase in the number of reports of casualties. This was announced on February 20 by OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid.
“The OSCE SMM recorded an increased use of heavy weapons banned by the Minsk agreements, which led to a rapid increase in reports of damage and casualties,” Schmid wrote on Twitter.
She noted that endangering the lives of civilians is unacceptable, and also called on the parties to the conflict to observe the ceasefire and protect civilians.
In addition, Schmid pointed to the need to withdraw heavy weapons from the security zone.
According to a February 19 report, the OSCE SMM recorded 591 ceasefire violations in Donetsk region, including 553 explosions. In the Luhansk region, the Mission recorded 975 ceasefire violations, including 860 explosions.
On the same day, the SMM confirmed reports of a civilian casualty in Ukrainian government-controlled Marinka, Donetsk region.
The DPR reported that on the night of Sunday, February 20, the Armed Forces of Ukraine shelled three settlements in the region – Staromikhaylovka, Petrivske and Kommunarovka.
Before that, it became known that the Ukrainian security forces fired at a number of other settlements in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) at night – Dokuchaevsk, Oktyabr, Sosnovskoye, Aleksandrovka, Spartak, Donetsk.
On February 19, it became known that a Ukrainian shell hit a house on a farm in the Mityakinsky rural settlement of the Rostov region on the border with Ukraine.
The situation on the line of contact in Donbass escalated on February 17. The DPR and LPR reported heavy shelling by Ukrainian security forces, including with heavy weapons.
On February 20, the Russian Investigative Committee opened two criminal cases on the facts of wounding and death of civilians as a result of shelling by the armed forces of Ukraine (AFU) in the Donbass. According to the investigation, on February 20, Ukrainian security forces carried out massive shelling with the use of heavy weapons and grenade launchers of several settlements of the DPR and LPR.
Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov warned the participants in the conflict about irreparable consequences amid tensions in the Donbass. He stressed that all the existing statements of the West about the mythical desire of Russia to invade the territory of Ukraine only exacerbate the situation. The Kremlin spokesman also pointed to the unwillingness of the Kiev authorities to implement the Minsk agreements.
Since 2014, the Kiev authorities have been conducting a military operation against the inhabitants of Donbass, who refused to recognize the results of the coup d’état and the new government in Ukraine. At the same time, Kiev blames Moscow for the current situation. Russia has repeatedly stated that it is not a party to the intra-Ukrainian conflict. The issues of its settlement are being discussed in the Minsk and Normandy formats.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
