DPR Starts Withdrawing Last Heavy Weaponry Convoys From Contact Line

The Donetsk People's Republic fulfills its plan of completing the withdrawal on Sunday.

DONETSK (Sputnik) — The self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) militia began the withdrawal of the last heavy weaponry convoys from the contact line in Ukraine's southeastern region of Donbas, the deputy commander of the DPR's militia, Eduard Basurin, said Sunday.

"The start of convoy's movement is at 10 a.m. [7:00 GMT]," Basurin said.

Earlier, the DPR stated that Sunday would be the last day of the militia's heavy weapons withdrawal from the line of contact in Donbas.

On Saturday, the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic announced that it pulled back 80 percent of its heavy weaponry from the line of contact. While the Kiev forces withdrew just 15 percent of heavy weaponry as of Saturday, according to Basurin.

The breakaway regions of Luhansk and Donetsk in eastern Ukraine and Kiev forces agreed to withdraw heavy arms from the line of contact back in September 2014, when the first ceasefire deal was reached in Minsk, Belarus. However, the warring sides failed to observe the ceasefire, continuing hostilities.

On February 15, a new ceasefire came into force under the new Minsk Agreements worked out by the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France earlier in the month.

Apart from the ceasefire, the deal stipulates the withdrawal of heavy artillery from the line of contact. On Thursday, Kiev began to pull back heavy weapons, while Donetsk militia said it had withdrawn 90 percent of its heavy weaponry by that time.