Deputy head of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) Alexander Hug has said the ceasefire regime has been breached by illegal armed groups in the village of Kominternove, eastern Ukraine, in violation of the Minsk agreements.
“What happened in Kominternove was a clear violation of the Minsk agreements,” Hug said at a press conference in Kyiv on Thursday.
He said that a seizure of the village broke the regime of silence on both of the sides. “Weapons (were) used with intent of establishing control in areas where previously there was no armed presence,” Hug said.
Besides, in Kominternove, artillery was used that was expected to be withdrawn from the contact line under the Minsk agreements, chief of the OSCE SMM said.
He also stressed that both sides restricted the freedom of movement for SMM monitors. Despite the guarantees of freedom of travel provided to OSCE SMM monitors, including the clear guarantees provided by the DPR and the LPR, the monitors’ freedom of travel was limited throughout the year, Hug said.
