Over the past 24 hours, the AFU units continued to violate the ceasefire. The areas of four settlements – Alexandrovka, Zaitsevo, Yasinovataya and Spartak – were targeted by the enemy with 24mortar shells with a caliber of 82-mm, fired five shots from IFV-2, and also applied various types of grenade launchers and small arms.
Our reconnaissance revealed the firing positions of artillery prohibited by the Minsk agreements in the zone of heavy weapons' withdrawal:
- Kurakhovo (17 km to the contact line) – there were revealed firing positions of three 122-mm SP guns Gvozdika from among the 30 separate mechanized brigade;
- Zhelannoye Vtoroye (11 km to the contact line) – there was noted the presence of four 152-mm calibre D-20 gun-howitzers from among the 57 separate mechanized infantry brigade.
I want to remind you that according to the signed agreements, the artillery must be at a distance of at least 50 km from the contact line.
The pretended truce on the AFU part has come because the commander of the 'ATO' A. Zabrodsky received a severe reprimand from the chief of the General Staff V.Muzhenko for a gross violation of the Minsk agreements by a group of forces and the imposed ban on conducting fire during the New Year's armistice.
Zabrodsky cannot bring order to the troops, because the nationalist units do not care about the commander of the 'ATO' zone and the AFU as a whole, and continue provocative shelling of the territory of our Republic, thus, showing the failure of the military leadership to control the situation in the so-called 'ATO' zone.
The People's Militia observes the "silence regime" and adheres to the Minsk agreements reached. Our actions are aimed at resolving the conflict in Donbass by peaceful means.
People's Militia servicemen are raising the level of professionalism and readiness to fulfill the tasks of protecting and ensuring the safety of the republic's inhabitants according to the plan.
Official translation by DONi News Agency
Vice-Commander of the DPR Defense Ministry operative command Donetsk,Colonel Eduard Basurin