Donetsk, Nov 15 – DAN. DPR intelligence spotted heavy Ukrainian artillery and mortars outside Donetsk and Yasinovataya which are banned under the Minsk Agreements, DPR Operations Command deputy commander Eduard Basurin told a news briefing at Donetsk News Agency on Tuesday.
“Our intelligence continues to record the reinforcement of Ukrainian army positions near the contact line,” Basurin said.
Three 120mm mortars and six mortar firing positions were spotted in Novoselovka Vtoraya village area, four km from the contact line outside Yasinovataya and in Maryinka, one km from the contact line. In Avdeyevka and Krasnogorovka, three Giatsint self-propelled howitzers and as many towed D-30 howitzers were spotted, he said.
DPR intelligence reports Kiev’s regular deployment of military equipment to the conflict zone. Under The Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements signed by the Contact Group on February 12, 2015, the sides have to withdraw their artillery systems of 100 mm calibre or more to a distance of 50 kilometres apart from each other, multiple launch rocket systems Tornado, Uragan and Smerch to a distance of 70 kilometres and Tactical Missile Systems Tochka to a distance of 140 kilometres. The Addendum to the Minsk Agreements signed in September provides for the parties’ withdrawal of their artillery systems of a calibre less than 100 mm, as well as tanks and mortars. Despite the agreement, Ukraine regularly shells DPR areas using the above weapons.