Donetsk, Jun 23 - DAN. The Donetsk People’s Republic State Security Ministry (MGB) prevented an act of terror on the road between the crossing points Maryinka (Ukraine) and Alexandrovka (DPR), MGB press service officer Mikhail Popov said at a press briefing in Donetsk on Tuesday.

“A scheduled engineer reconnaissance on a road stretch between the Maryinka and Alexandrovka crossing points on June 22 found three anti-personnel fragmentation-type mines planted by enemy saboteur team with the view of carrying out a bloody provocation and accusing the DPR of unwillingness to open the border,” Popov said.

He underlined that Ukraine's actions had to be treated as an act of terror. In the course of the briefing, the journalists saw a video showing the detection of mines by MGB officers on the road between the crossing points.

Expecting the simultaneous opening of the border by the DPR, Kiev authorities intended to commit a crime and blame the Republic for it. They planned to blast the mines as traffic resumed on the road, the MGB press service officer said.

There are four crossing point on the contact line betwen the DPR and Ukraine-held territory: Gorlovka-Mayorskoye, Yelenovka-Novotroitskoye, Alexandrovka-Maryinka and Oktyabr-Gnutovo. All the crossing points suspended operation in March to the prevent the import of coronavirus infection from Ukraine. On June 22, the DPR reopened the Yelenovka crossing point south of Donetsk. Later on, the Novotroitskoye crossing point on the Ukrainian side was opened. Earlier, Kiev announced plans to open the Maryinka facility without coordinating it with Donetsk. The DPR called this move a profocation. *jk