Donetsk, Jan 31 - DAN. Ukraine, at the Contact Group meeting in Minsk on Wednesday, did not voice any reasonable proposals in response to DPR’s call for the soonest restoration of Vodafone (MTS-Ukraine) network in the Republic, said Viktoria Talakina, a spokeswoman for DPR envoy to Minsk talks Denis Pushilin.
“Ukraine agreed that the issue to restore Vodafone service was important, but no sound initiatives were voiced,” Talakina told Donetsk News Agency.
Pushilin called for the soonest solution of the issue, she added. Meanwhile, DPR views the currently unavailable Vodafone service as deliberate “elements of the communications blockade” by Ukrainian authorities.
Earlier, DPR officials repeatedly brought forward proposals to restore Vodafone signal in the Republic’s territory. DPR Communications Ministry asked the company to send personnel to DPR to relaunch the network. Vodafone was also offered to re-route the signal to Rostov-on-Don for subsequent linkup with the Republic's networks. Ukraine has not answered to these proposals.
On 11 January, Ukraine’s Vodafone (MTS Ukraine) network collapsed in Donbass because of accidents. Vodafone restored its service in the Lugansk People’s Republic on 19 January, while in the Donetsk People’s Republic Vodafone signal is still unavailable.
On 29 January, Minsk security subgroup participants discussed the Vodafone issue at a video conference. They later said that no compromise had been found and decided to continue the discussion at the meeting in Minsk on Wednesday. At the Minsk talks, the Republic’s delegation presented the proposals drawn by DPR Communications Ministry specialists. *jk