Russian Mercenaries in Donbas Announce Withdrawal from Truce

The occupation authorities of the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic” allowed their militants to open “warning” fire on Ukrainian servicepersons and positions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

As the Ostrov media outlet reports, such instructions were outlined in an emergency statement by the “people’s police.”

Pro-Russian authorities and separatist propagandists have traditionally accused the Ukrainian military of violating the ceasefire and willfully give themselves a right to be the first to open fire based on these unsubstantiated statements, in particular not confirmed by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission in Donbas.

Having made their “emergency statement,” the Russian occupation forces are no longer trying to cover up the attacks on the Ukrainian government-controlled territories with the need to fire back and actually withdraw from a fragile ceasefire regime.

As a reminder, a full and comprehensive ceasefire has been in place in Donbas since July 27. The agreements provide for disciplinary punishment for ceasefire violations, the ban on offensive and reconnaissance operations, and the use of fire, including sniper fire.

Meanwhile, the armed hostilities on the contact line are ongoing. In February 2021, eleven Ukrainian soldiers were killed, mostly in sniper fire and land mine blasts.

Bohdan Marusyak