The growing military activity in eastern Ukraine is a concerning fact, said Deputy Head of OSCE SMM Alexander Hug. According to him, most of the strikes are landed in the area of Avdiivka and Yasynuvata, Donetsk region. As of April 4, the number of breaches of ceasefire in Donbas exceeded 4,000.
“The fire is so intensive that sometimes we can’t even count the actual number of ceasefire breaches”, Hug said.
He added that the Mission urged Russia-backed militants to stop the attacks, but no reply followed. “Despite our call, the situation in Yasynuvata was tense. We visited the area today, and we had to wait for an hour or so before we could reach the bridge. Only after two-hour long negotiations, we managed to solve the situation”, said the official.
According to him, the OSCE SMM will grow its presence in the combat area to 800 members. “There are 13 observations points in eastern Ukraine; eight of them at the militant-controlled territories, five more in the government-controlled areas. In total, 680 observers work there. The number will grow until it reaches 800 members”, Hug said.
