Donetsk, Jun 4 - DAN. Video surveillance cameras of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in the Petrovskoye-Bogdanovka security area were destroyed in Ukrainian sniper fire, the Donetsk People’s Republic Office at the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination reported.
“According to updated reports, aimed sniper fire (from Ukrainian armed formations - eds Donetsk News Agency) destroyed a set of OSCE SMM CCTV cameras on June 2,” the report said. “OSCE monitors confirmed in the June 3 report that fire had been delivered from west-north-west where Ukrainian armed formations are positioned.”
Earlier, the OSCE Mission reported that the surveillance system included day and night cameras facing the Petrovskoye disengagement zone in the southeast. The cameras stopped transmitting picture at approximately 14:30, on June 2.
The DPR Office at the JCCC looked into the incident; the results will be published.
Petrovskoye is located on the contact line some 40 kilometres south of Donetsk. It is one of the three pilot disengagement areas in Donbass, in accordance with the Contact Group’s decision.
The conflicting parties disengaged back in October 2016, but later on, Ukrainian troops returned to their positions. The parties withdrew their units in November 2019 again; however, Ukraine continued military activities in the Petrovskoye area and inside the security zone.*jk