Donetsk People's Republic to Pull Out of Ceasefire if Ukrainian Attacks Continue

The Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) will pull out of the new eastern Ukrainian ceasefire unless Kiev stops shelling its territory by next week, the DPR’s head Alexander Zakharchenko said Saturday.

DONETSK (Sputnik) — On Tuesday, the leaders of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) in Donbass announced ceasefires effective midnight September 15 and urged Kiev to follow suit.

"Unless shelling is ceased by the end of this week, I will reverse the order on Monday," Zakharchenko told reporters.

Ukraine did not pay heed to the ceasefire offer, he added, stressing that shelling from the Ukrainian side reduced but did not stop following September 15.

Kiev launched a special military operation in Ukraine’s east in April 2014, after local residents refused to recognize the new Ukrainian authorities, which came to power as a result of a coup.

In February 2015, a peace agreement was signed between Ukraine’s conflicting sides in Minsk. Despite the fact that the deal stipulated a full ceasefire in Donbass, violations both on the part of Kiev forces and local militia have been reported.