DPR in Talks With Kiev on Returning Bodies of Dead Soldiers

The Donetsk People's Republic's (DPR) militia's deputy commander, Eduard Basurin, said that the DPR authorities are holding talks to return the bodies of dead independence supporters of Donbas.

DONETSK (Sputnik) – The leadership of the eastern Ukrainian self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic's (DPR) militia is currently holding talks with Ukrainian forces on transferring the bodies of DPR fighters killed in action, the militia's deputy commander, Eduard Basurin, said Tuesday.

"We have already handed over 306 bodies to the Ukrainian side who died in the Debaltseve area. We are currently holding talks to return the bodies of our dead fighters," Basurin said.

Basurin added that shelling against DPR militia is continuing in the area of the Donetsk Airport despite the official ceasefire between Kiev forces and independence supporters.

"Yes, we can say that shelling of militia positions is continuing in the region of the Donetsk Airport," he said.

The Donetsk Airport and the town of Debaltseve have seen intense fighting between Kiev forces and independence supporters of Donbas for several months.

The ceasefire in east Ukraine came into force on February 15, three days after German, French, Russian and Ukrainian leaders hammered out a set of measures to end the conflict in the region.

Apart from a ceasefire, the agreement included withdrawal of heavy weapons from the contact line, an "all-for-all" prisoner exchange and the establishment of a buffer zone.

Kiev launched military operations against the independence supporters of Ukraine's east regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in April 2014. The confrontation has claimed more than 6,000 civilian lives, according to the latest UN estimates.