Donetsk Warns OSCE to Get Tough on Kiev for Minsk Treaty Violations or Else

Denis Pushilin, the chief negotiator from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said that the capture of seven villages in the agreed-to buffer zone between government troops and pro-independence militias by Kiev-led forces could lead to a full resumption of hostilities.

DEBALTSEVO (Donetsk region) (Sputnik) – The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's (OSCE) has taken a passive stance toward Ukrainian forces seizing territory inside the buffer zone separating the warring sides, the chief negotiator from the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) said Sunday. By failing to put a stop to Kiev's advances, the intergovernmental association is putting the country at risk of new hostilities.

Denis Pushilin called out the OSCE after Kiev-led forces captured seven villages located in the buffer zone early last month.

"We have established a zone preventing direct clashes. Now, allowing Ukraine to come close to our units will come to no good. This can lead to a full resumption of hostilities; this is what the OSCE’s caution can cause," Pushilin told reporters.

An 18-mile buffer zone, set out in accordance with the Minsk deal negotiated in February 2015, separates government troops and pro-independence militias.

The country’s southeast was targeted by a Ukrainian special military operation in April 2014, after residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions refused to recognize the post-Euromaidan government, which they describe as the product of a coup d'etat.

Over 9,000 people have died in the conflict so far, according to UN figures.