Hug says 'back-to-school' ceasefire in Donbas not respected

Hug says 'back-to-school' ceasefire in Donbas not respected

Ukrinform
Principal Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (OSCE SMM) to Ukraine Alexander Hug has said that that the ceasefire regime in the Donbas is not respected.

He stated this at a briefing on Friday, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The re-commitment to the ceasefire was an encouraging political signal from all signatories of the Minsk agreements. But there needs to be more than just words, action is required. Withdrawal of weapons and disengagement must take place... Instead of pausing the violence, the sides must stop it," Hug said.

According to him, there was a ceasefire for some time, but starting from Sunday, August 27, ceasefire violations have has resumed. "By Sunday, however, the number of ceasefire violations recorded by the SMM began to climb - 151 on Sunday. On Monday it was 173, Tuesday - 431, Wednesday - 186. The pause is over," he said.

According to him, personnel and hardware in Stanytsia Luhanska are still not disengaged. In particular, the distance separating sides at the bridge is a mere 200 meters, he added. 

"This week, for instance, the OSCE SMM spotted heavy weapons in violation of agreed withdrawal lines - 112 times, 47 in government- and 65 in nongovernment-controlled areas," Hug said.

As reported, at a meeting on August 23 the Trilateral Contact Group agreed on a ceasefire in the Donbas starting from August 25 due to the beginning of the school year.

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