Military situation in Donbas has worsened in past week - OSCE SMM deputy chief monitor
DONETSK. July 4 (Interfax) - The Special Monitoring Mission of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE SMM) has observed a worsening of the military situation in Donbas in the past week.
The mission notes that the situation has deteriorated in the past week and frequent movements and use of heavy weapons have been observed, OSCE SMM Deputy Chief Monitor Alexander Hug told reporters.
The OSCE mission has observed a continuing arms build-up by both sides in the conflict, he said.
OSCE monitors observed a continuing weapons build-up in the village of Komsomolske, which is controlled by the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, and movements of these weapons southwards, Hug said.
One of the days, drones detected 38 tanks, seven self-propelled artillery systems and 12 armored personnel carriers in Ternove, he said. In recent days, drones of the OSCE mission have registered an arms build-up in Ukraine-controlled territories as well, a circumstance that violates the weapons withdrawal agreement, he said.
The build-up of military hardware along the contact line has already led to new fatalities and destruction, Hug said.
Both sides continue to place their firing positions close to civilian infrastructure, he said, adding that all these developments lead to a worse humanitarian situation in the region.
