"At this point, the DPR army has withdrawn 17 artillery units, which constitutes the majority of artillery systems and large-caliber mortars stipulated by the Minsk peace agreements," Eduard Basurin said at a news briefing in Donetsk.
Basurin reaffirmed that the DPR had carried out the withdrawal of heavy weaponry in strict compliance with Minsk accords despite the absence of documented evidence confirming simultaneous pullout of heavy weaponry by Kiev-led forces.
The official added that the Donetsk authorities had registered a total of 19 violations of ceasefire by Kiev in the past 24 hours.
Kiev followed a week later, pulling back 100-millimeter anti-tank guns on Thursday and planning to move heavier arms even further from the line of contact in the withdrawal's second stage.
As agreed by the sides on February 12 in the Belarusian capital Minsk, in addition to withdrawing heavy weapons, Ukraine's government forces and independence fighters were to observe a ceasefire and conduct an all-for-all prisoner exchange.
Under the terms of the deal, the withdrawal was scheduled to start no later than on the second day after the ceasefire came into force and was to conclude within 14 days.
The 13-point document's other requirements included a pardon and amnesty for those involved in the conflict, as well as constitutional reform in Ukraine.
