Joint Forces Operations (JFO) Commander Serhiy Nayev has expressed dismay at the loss of life of civilians on both sides of the demarcation line due to shelling by Russian occupation forces.

"I officially declare a number of decisions taken by JFO commanders to improve the safety situation and avoid the deaths of civilians living close to Ukrainian forces, as well as in town under the control of Russian occupation forces," Nayev said on the JFO's Facebook page.

Nayev said Ukrainian solders never use civilians as human shields and never attack civilian targets.

He said, "We will liberate this land, but before this we will prevent Russian occupation forces from firing on peaceful towns and villages under Ukrainian control. We will find a way to do this without violating our international obligations to end the conflict."

Nayev called on all Ukrainian units along the demarcation line to assist the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission (SMM). He added that he expects the OSCE's SMM mission to provide objective, accurate information about ceasefire violations.