The security situation in Donbas along the contact line is highly volatile, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office in Ukraine and the Trilateral Contact Group (TCG), Ambassador Mikko Kinnunen said after the regular meetings of the TCG group and its Working Groups.

"The security situation along the contact line is highly volatile. SMM reports on damage to civilian houses and infrastructure on both sides of the contact line caused by heavy weapons. The average number of daily cease-fire violations has exceeded figure before entering into force of the Measures to strengthen the ceasefire in July 2020. The impasse related to the provision of security guarantees has become a major issue for activities along the contact line and complicates the life of civilians as well as the work of SMM," Kinnunen said in a press release on Wednesday, November 24.

According to the OSCE mission, the number of ceasefire violations per day is higher than before the measures to strengthen the ceasefire came into force in July 2020.

The increasing number of obstacles make it difficult for the mission to establish facts, the Special Representative said.

As noted by Kinnunen, the positions of the members of the political working group remain unchanged, which makes it difficult to exchange views on the development of a single Action Plan to resolve the situation.

In the Security Working Group the participants predominantly focused on the issue of security guarantees.

The Humanitarian Working Group discussed about conflict-related detainees, missing persons and the possible simultaneous opening of two new crossing points across the contact line in Zolote and Schastia of Luhansk region.

The Economic Working Group engaged in a constructive discussion on different aspects of water supply to certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine (ORDLO). Ecological issues, pension payments and questions related to telecommunication were also reviewed.