The Ukrainian side of the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) has said that Russian armed groups, despite the agreements on the withdrawal of weapons, are actively increasing military presence near the contact line of the parties.

"Observers record numerous facts of the movement of military equipment outside the designated sites for storage of weapons, as well as the work on arranging positions in areas beyond the control of the Ukrainian government," the press center of the headquarters of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) said in a report posted on its Facebook page on Friday morning.

In the zone of actions of the Sever (North) separate territorial administration on July 21 and 22, 2018, an OSCE SMM unmanned aerial vehicle recorded the movement of the equipment of the Russian armed formations outside the allocated areas of withdrawal, in particular three multiple launch rocket systems, 46 towed howitzers, 12 self-propelled howitzers, and 45 tanks.

In the zone of actions of the Vostok (East) separate territorial administration on July 23 and 24, observers recorded the movement of the equipment of the Russian armed formations outside the designated areas of withdrawal, in particular three 122mm Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers and 21 T-64 and T-72 tanks.

"JCCC regards these measures carried out by the enemy despite all the agreements and obligations on the disengagement of the sides and the withdrawal of military equipment as a sign of the preparation of the Russian armed formations for active operations with the aim of further escalating the situation on the contact line," the report says.