Situation in Donbas has been worsening since mid-January – OSCE SMM

12:00, 26.03.2016 1 min read

The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe's Special Monitoring Mission for Ukraine (OSCE SMM) has seen the situation in the armed conflict area in eastern Ukraine worsening since mid-January, and problems with monitors' access to some districts still remain in place, OSCE Deputy Chief Monitor to Ukraine Alexander Hug said at a press conference in Odesa on Friday.

In all instances, ceasefire violations can be explained by the fact that the conflicting parties stand too close to each other, Hug said.

The OSCE SMM has also noticed heavy weapons returned to the security zone stipulated by the Minsk Agreements, Hug said.

The ceasefire agreements have been violated by both conflicting parties, and mission monitors are still having problems with access to some districts in the conflict area, primarily those controlled by militias from the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics and also those located near the border between Ukraine and Russia, he said.