The Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE SSM) on Thursday confirmed that both sides in the eastern Ukrainian conflict are withdrawing their heavy weapons from the frontline.

However, current restrictions on the SMM's moves would prevent the mission from eventually ascertaining whether the withdrawal process has been completed, SMM spokesman Michael Bociurkiw complained at a briefing in Kyiv.

He said both sides had been pulling out their heavy arms intensively in the first few days after the withdrawal process began.

Bociurkiw said the SMM had told the parties to the conflict that the mission would be able to confirm the definitive withdrawal of heavy weapons on condition that it had been notified about the location of the sites where the arms would be stored and the routes to be used to deliver the weapons there, and that it was given free and secure access to those sites.

None of these conditions had been fulfilled, according to the spokesman, who said the SMM would not be satisfied with mere reports from the two sides.

Meanwhile, the SMM was witnessing heavy weapons being removed from the frontline, Bociurkiw said.

He hailed a ceasefire in the area of the village of Shyrokyne, Donetsk region, that was recorded by the SMM on Wednesday.

However, the SMM needed secure access to all villages in the area to find out if the ceasefire was being observed, he said.

An SMM patrol that checked Shyrokyne on Wednesday was only the first step, Bociurkiw said. Such patrolling must be regular practice, he insisted. He urged the two sides to reduce their military presence in the Shyrokyne area, withdraw their heavy weapons from it, and provide guarantees for safe civilian traffic on local roads.

He said there had been reports that heavy arms had started being pulled out of the Shyrokyne area but that the SMM would have to verify them.

The OSCE currently has a total of 460 monitors posted in Ukraine, 350 of them in the conflict zone, Bociurkiw said.