You're reading: Sajdik: Use of heavy weapons in Donbas results in more than double rise of civilian toll in past year (update)

MINSK – OSCE Special Envoy to the Trilateral Contact Group Martin Sajdik is concerned about an abrupt growth of the civilian toll in Donbas.

Sajdik told reporters in Minsk on Wednesday, showing the relevant chart, that it has been very regretful that the civilian toll had increased 120% in the past year.

He said that this had resulted from continued application of heavy weapons and dragging out demining efforts.

Sajdik said that this data had been provided by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and had been substantiated by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission’s report.

The OSCE special envoy said that he would like to highlight that 85% of all breaches, which are related to the use of heavy weapons, had been committed in three areas, i.e. Avdiyivka, Yasynuvata, Mariupol and Svitlodarsk.

Sajdik said that this meant that, in essence, if the sides have showed good will, one could abstain from similar armed conflicts, because it has been obvious, where all this had been happening.

He said that all this had been an apparent violation of the Minsk Agreements and had been absolutely unacceptable.

Sajdik condemned such developments and called on all parties to the conflict to respect the human life, observe their commitments in line with international law and protect the civilians on both sides of the contact line.

The working group on security affairs has focused on the discussion of these issues, the OSCE special envoy said. He said that it has been repeatedly noted that application of forbidden weapons should not go unpunished.

Sajdik went on to note that members of this subgroup have voiced their suggestions on determining new sections for the disengagement of forces and military hardware. He said that this issue would be discussed in the future.