OSCE records dramatic deterioration of situation in Donbas
DONETSK. April 15 (Interfax) - The situation in Donbas has significantly deteriorated, with thousands of ceasefire violations having been committed by both parties, says Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Deputy Chief Monitor to Ukraine Alexander Hug.
Speaking at a press conference in Donetsk on Friday, Hug said the main reason for his current arrival in Donbas so quickly after his previous visit is the deterioration of the security situation, primarily security of the mission's monitors working on both sides of the line of contact.
Hug said he himself had visited the areas on both sides of the contact line, including Yasynuvata, Shyrokyne, Zhovanka, and Zaitseve, and met with members of the Joint Ceasefire Control and Coordination Center (JCCC).
In particular, Hug said he met with the JCCC co-chairs in Soledar, where he had the opportunity to meet Gen. Tymoshenko of Ukraine for the first time. The OSCE deputy chief monitor blamed both parties of failing to react quickly to the escalation of violence.
The opposing sides commit thousands of ceasefire violations every day, and OSCE monitors have seen the increasingly intensive use of artillery and mortars, recorded the absence of military hardware at storage sites, and then seen it again along the contact line, he said.
The monitors have also regularly registered the planting of new mines by both sides, he said.
The most troubled area in Donbas is that around Avdiyivka and Yasynuvata, where the OSCE monitors have recorded over 4,000 ceasefire violations over the past 24 hours, Hug said.