OSCE SMM recorded about 2,000 ceasefire violations last week

Ambassador Yevhenii Tsymbaliuk, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the International Organizations in Vienna, said this at the OSCE Permanent Council meeting on June 24, Ukrinform reports.

"We call on the Russian side to abandon its aggressive behavior and begin to improve the security situation on the ground. Last week, the SMM recorded almost 2,000 ceasefire violations – a 265% increase compared to the previous week," Tsymbaliuk said.

According to him, the Mission regarded about half of these violations as exercises with the use of weapons in the occupied territories of Luhansk region.

During the meeting, the EU delegation also announced that the OSCE SMM had recorded almost 2,000 ceasefire violations last week. At the same time, it clarified that 994 ceasefire violations were recorded on June 17.

“The number of violations shows that the overall security situation in the conflict zone remains unstable. In addition, since the beginning of 2021, the SMM has confirmed 37 civilian casualties, of which 73% were due to mines, unexploded ordnance, and other explosives. There is also an increase in casualties among the Ukrainian military," the EU said in a statement.

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