Russian official from ceasefire observance control center reports unprovoked attacks on Donetsk, Horlivka by Ukrainian military
MOSCOW. Jan 19 (Interfax) - The escalation of military action in Donbas indicates a deliberate attempt to disrupt the peaceful settlement process, Colonel Andrei Kozlov, the Russian head of the coordination group of the joint center for control and coordination of ceasefire, said.
"The fueling of tensions recently registered by the group, which is expressed by unprovoked attacks on the cities of Donetsk and Horlivka by the Ukrainian armed forces using artillery systems of various calibers and unjustified civilian deaths cannot help but make one think that some forces are trying to disrupt the peaceful conflict settlement process, which was so difficult to establish," Kozlov was quoted by the Donetsk News Agency on Monday.
"In this situation, I believe that the main task of our group is to prevent civilian deaths, for which the shelling of the residential quarters of Donetsk has to stop," he said.
Alexander Zakharchenko, the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, earlier told Interfax Kyiv had used the ceasefire to regroup its Armed Forces and considerably increase heavy weapons.
"Intensive attacks using large-caliber reactive systems Grad and Uragan are now carried out on the residential quarters of Donetsk and Luhansk," Zakharchenko said.
"Clearly, Kyiv is making an attempt to avenge last year's heavy defeat from the militia. Kyiv has always responded to numerous proposals to withdraw heavy weapons from the division line with silence," he said.
He reiterated that "we are talking about an attempt made by Kyiv to start a war again."
