The withdrawal of heavy weapons from the line of contact in Donbas by illegal armed groups is of a false nature, anti-terrorist operation (ATO) spokesman Andriy Lysenko has said.

"Illegal armed groups' military hardware is running in a circle or being concealed indoors in industrial zones of large towns and cities and in remote farm facilities," he said at a briefing in Kyiv on Friday.

According to Lysenko, the pullout of heavy weapons accompanied by mandatory monitoring by the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission is one of the major requirements of the Minsk Agreements which Ukraine closely observes.