Militia Continues Withdrawal of Heavy Weapons From Contact Line - DPR

The deputy commander of the DPR militia reported that the Donetsk People's Republic continues its withdrawal of heavy weapons from the contact line outlined in the Minsk agreements from September 19 last year.

DONETSK (Sputnik) — The situation near the contact line between Kiev-led forces and eastern Ukrainian militia is stabilizing, and the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) is continuing the withdrawal of its heavy weapons, deputy commander of the DPR militia said Thursday.

"The Donetsk People's Republic continues its withdrawal of heavy weapons from the contact line outlined in the Minsk agreements from September 19 last year," Basurin told reporters.

Basurin added that the situation at the contact line is gradually stabilizing, and the militia "strictly observes the ceasefire and does not respond to sporadic provocations from Ukrainian troops."

The pullout of Kiev's and independence forces' heavy weaponry from the contact line into a newly-formed 50-140 kilometer (31-85 miles) security zone was given a two-week deadline starting February 15.

The 13-point deal reached in the Belarusian capital Minsk last week included an all-for-all prisoner exchange and a complete ceasefire supervised by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

Basurin reiterated DPR's adherence to the latest Minsk agreement and invited OSCE observers to monitor the continued withdrawal of heavy weaponry.

Four days after the ceasefire came into effect, the OSCE noted it was broadly observed "despite some incidents" in Donetsk, Luhansk and the neighboring railway hub of Debaltsevo.

The large-scale military campaign between government forces and independence fighters in southeast Ukraine has claimed nearly 5,600 civilians, according to the United Nations, since it was launched in mid-April 2014.