New clashes erupted in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday after Kiev troops had launched an offensive against local independence supporters along the separation line in the region. The fighting occurred in the town of Marinka just outside the city of Donetsk.
According to the deputy chief monitor, the OSCE mission has noted increasing ceasefire violations in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region.
“Developments around Marinka are worrying, suggesting that a military track has not been abandoned for a political one,” he said, stressing that civilians continue to suffer in the conflict.
Ukrainian officials publicly acknowledged the use of heavy artillery by Kiev in the fighting, in violation of the Minsk peace agreements.
In February, the warring sides in Ukraine agreed to maintain a ceasefire and withdraw heavy weapons from the line of contact but the hostilities continued. The Minsk agreements stipulate that OSCE observers are tasked with constantly monitoring the situation in Ukraine's southeast.
