09:30 12.11.2016

Number of shelling incidents in Donbas doubles compared to last week

2 min read
Number of shelling incidents in Donbas doubles compared to last week

Observers from the Special Monitoring Mission of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE SMM) recorded a significant increase in ceasefire violations along the contact line of the conflicting sides in eastern Ukraine.

The situation on the contact line remains tense, OSCE SMM Principal Deputy Chief Monitor Alexander Hug told a briefing in Kyiv on Friday. He said that the observers witnessed violent hostilities: 7,000 ceasefire violations were recorded last week and 4,000 in the period from Monday to Wednesday alone. The number of shelling incidents increased by 50% compared to last week, Hug said.

He expressed utmost concern over the facts of use of BM-21 Grad multiple rocket launcher systems becoming more frequent in the hostilities zone. An OSCE SMM camera in Shyrokino recorded fire from multiple rocket launcher systems three evenings in a row last week, from Friday to Sunday, Hug said. Observers recorded a total of 140 rockets fired from multiple rocket launcher systems north east of Mariupol over the week. Observers also heard the sound of fire from multiple rocket launcher systems in the Luhansk region on November 4 and 6, Hug said.

He said that the SMM recorded 150 explosions of artillery shells in the Luhansk region.

Speaking of the past week in general, one has to state that the level of violence in the region is increasing, Hug said. He added that the situation also worsened along the Debaltseve-Svitlodarsk road. The SMM recorded 250 explosions in half an hour near Debaltseve on November 3 and 350 explosions on November 8. Another 193 explosions of mortars were recorded near Svitlodarsk, as well as 30 seconds of continuous fire from a Grad system near Horlivka and 83 explosions near Yasynuvata, he said.

Hug said that the OSCE SMM in Ukraine currently consists of 682 observers; 584 of them are working in the hostilities zone in Donbas.

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