Monitors of the Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) of the OSCE have witnessed a protest by residents of Donetsk on June 15, who demanded that the so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) should stop shelling, and that both sides in the conflict in Donbas should withdraw heavy weaponry.

"In DPR-controlled Donetsk city, the SMM monitored a protest of about 200 mostly middle aged and elderly women who gathered at the DPR 'government' building and demanded an end to shelling, the withdrawal of DPR military equipment as well as the Ukrainian Armed Forces from the area of the Oktiabr mine (DPR-controlled, 2.2km south-west of Donetsk airport), and to be accommodated in safe locations. The SMM did not see any 'police' present at the event, which ended peacefully," the OSCE mission said in its report on the situation in Donbas as of Monday evening.

The mission also said that despite claims that the withdrawal of heavy weapons was complete, the SMM observed weapons in areas that are in violation of withdrawal lines according to the Minsk agreements.

In DPR-controlled areas, the SMM observed one truck-mounted anti-aircraft gun, 11 main battle tanks (MBTs) (T-64) and seven MBTs (T-72), as well as nine armored personnel carriers (BMP 1).

On 14 June, in DPR-controlled areas, an SMM unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) spotted eight MBTs, three howitzers (Gvozdika 2S1) and 16 armored personnel carriers, while in government-controlled areas it observed two MBTs.

On June 15, in DPR-controlled areas, the SMM UAV spotted three artillery pieces (122mm) and one mortar position, and in government-controlled areas one mortar position.