OSCE observers record over 8,000 violations in eastern Ukraine last week – Hug

Principal Deputy Chief Monitor of the OSCE SMM to Ukraine Alexander Hug said this during a briefing, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"According to the observers of the OSCE SMM, last week was full of instability and unpredictability. Despite the fact that the parties agreed on a ceasefire, we recorded more than 8,000 violations committed by the same parties that signed the Minsk ceasefire agreements. None of the perpetrators was held responsible, and it seems that there is an atmosphere of impunity, and the impunity generates more violence," he said.

"On Thursday evening, February 22, our patrol base in Popasna (90 km north-west of Luhansk) recorded about 80 explosions and approximately 800 shots from different types of weapons, as well as numerous explosions and crossfire from heavy machine guns," the OSCE representative added.

As Ukrinform reported, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission recorded at least 401 thousand ceasefire violations in the last year.

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