Updated on 3:45 p.m. Moscow time
DONETSK, September 8 (RIA Novosti) – The armed forces of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) in eastern Ukraine have noticed a large boost in the number of Ukrainian troops grouping near the village of Debaltsevo which is under the DPR’s control, DPR Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Purgin said Monday.
“What are they doing that for? This type of reinforcing groups is usually done for only one well-known goal: to strike. Without a doubt we will bring this to the attention of international organizations,” Purgin said.
Representatives from Ukraine, Russia and OSCE agreed to a ceasefire between Kiev and independence supporters during the September 5 meeting of the Contact Group on Ukraine in Minsk. The ceasefire started at 15:00 GMT the same day.
The sides also agreed to allow international monitoring of the truce’s implementation, to conduct the “all for all” prisoner exchange and to ensure humanitarian aid access to combat zones.
On Sunday, the DPR stated that Ukrainian troops had repeatedly shelled militia positions and that residents of Donetsk reported hearing gunshots in the city on Saturday and throughout Sunday morning and early afternoon.
The Ukrainian military, in turn, stressed that it was fully complying with the ceasefire agreement and accused militia forces of attempting to attack the Donetsk Airport and opening fire on a number of Ukrainian security forces’ positions.
Ukraine has been engulfed in violent internal conflict since mid-April, when Kiev began a military operation against independence supporters in the southeastern regions of the country.
