OSCE mission says militants continue military drills in Donbas in violation of Minsk accords

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Special Monitoring Mission (OSCE SMM) say militants have breached the agreement reached in Minsk on a ban to hold exercises near the dividing line in Donbas.

The parties agreed to stop exercises with combat fire drills in the 30-kilometer security area, but the situation is still far from being ideal, OSCE Deputy Chief Monitor Alexander Hug said at a briefing on Friday. Exercises are continuing near the security area on the territory, which is not controlled by the Dozens of tanks and artillery guns are involved in the exercises, he said.

At the meeting on March 2, the Contact Group on the settlement of the conflict in Donbas signed two documents on the normalization of the situation in Donbas, on the contact line, particularly on mine clearance and a full ban on exercises with the use of all types of combat weapons.

At the meeting on the night of March 4, the 'Normandy Format' foreign ministers welcomed the agreements on mine clearance and the ban on drills, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.