MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The Armed Forces of Ukraine (VSU) keep increasing presence along the contact line in Donbass, deploying forces there, including the "Donbas" nationalist battalion, Russian Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said Tuesday.
"The Kiev authorities continue to illegally, in violation of the Minsk agreements and ceasefire commitments arising from them, actively build up their military presence along the contact line, deploying additional forces there, including units of the 79th air assault brigade, as well as the 'Donbas' nationalist battalion and the 'Azov' regiment," Petrenko said.
The situation in Donbass has escalated over the past few days, in particular near the town of Avdiivka in the Donetsk region, where clashes between Kiev forces and the troops of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) have intensified. The conflicting parties have both accused each other of initiating the violence.
In February 2015, Kiev forces and Donbass independence supporters signed a peace agreement in the Belarusian capital of Minsk. The deal stipulates a full ceasefire, weapons withdrawal from the line of contact in Donbass, as well as constitutional reforms that would give a special status to the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. Despite the agreement, the ceasefire regime is regularly violated, with both sides accusing each other of multiple breaches, undermining the terms of the accord.
