Donetsk, December 19 - DAN. The Russian officers who withdrew from the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination have left the territory of the Donetsk People Republic and stopped over at Ukraine-controlled Soledar, DPR representative at JCCC Ruslan Yakubov told Donetsk News Agency.
“Today, the Russian officers left our territory and successfully crossed the contact line. They are staying in Soledar at present,” Yakubov said.
The JCCC Ukrainian officers who had been on duty at observation posts left the Republic’s territory as well, he added.
Initially, the Russian officers planned to cross the frontline and enter Ukrainian territory on 18 December, but they were delayed as Kiev had not provided safety guarantees.
On Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Russia would withdraw its representatives from JCCC because of Ukraine’s actions.
The Joint Centre for Control and Coordination was set up to monitor the implementation of the Minsk Agreements. Its functions included interaction with the conflicting parties and OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, settlement of disputes over implementation of the Minsk Agreements and assistance in fulfilling them. It also participated in negotiations concerning Minsk-2 accords. *jk