Donetsk Militia Say OSCE Made No Requests to Visit Debaltseve

The authorities of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) did not receive requests from OSCE to visit Debaltseve area, according to DPR negotiator Denis Pushilin.

DONETSK, (Sputnik) – The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) monitoring mission to Ukraine did not request the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) to visit the area of Debaltseve, DPR negotiator said Sunday.

Earlier on Sunday, OSCE monitoring mission chief Ertugrul Apakan said the Donetsk militia barred the monitors from visiting the town of Debaltseve, where several thousand Ukrainian troops remain surrounded by pro-independence forces.

"Prior to the meeting… with the OSCE, which took place in the second half of the day [Sunday], I personally, as an authorized representative [of DPR], received no requests from OSCE to visit Debaltseve area," Denis Pushilin said.

He asserted that the monitors could have been denied entrance to the area due to security reasons.

Some 10,000 of Kiev-led troops remain encircled by pro-independence militia in Debaltseve, one of Ukraine's biggest railroad junctions, which has been a site of intense clashes between the warring sides in recent weeks.

On Saturday, the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, said that all attempts of Ukrainian soldiers to leave the encirclement will be stopped.

The truce deal between the Ukrainian troops and pro-independence forces in Donbas was worked out by the leaders of France, Germany, Russia and Ukraine on February 12 during 16-hour peace talks in Minsk, the capital of Belarus.