OSCE: distance narrows between Ukrainian military and pro-Russian militants in Donbas
The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission recorded a reduced distance between the positions of the Ukrainian military and pro-Russian militants in near the city of Horlivka in the Donbas, stated the first deputy of the head of the SMM OSCE, Alexander Hug, at a briefing as quoted by Interfax-Ukraine. The advance of the positions was recorded from the east and new trench systems were found in the area.
"Last week we saw signs of forward movement in two more places. Our long-range drones recorded new trench systems near Stavky and Horlivka that stretch to the West, reducing the distance between the positions of the parties, and in one place it was reduced almost to one kilometer," Hug said.
According to him, last week, observers recorded 26 units of large-caliber weapons in the areas where the presence of these weapons is not allowed. Hug said that the SMM found 16 units of the prohibited weapons were found in the areas controlled by Kyiv, and ten units in the territory not controlled by Ukraine.
He also noted that in 2018, over three thousand prohibited weapons were found which were deployed in violation of the agreed lines of weapons withdrawal.
The Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk agreed on an open-ended ceasefire from August 29 to the beginning of the academic year, known as the “school ceasefire.”