“Openly strengthen their positions”: in the Donbass announced the increase in the number of APU in the region

Ukrainian security officials, bypassing the Minsk agreements, are equipping positions 200 meters from the Donetsk filter station, according to the DPR. This was announced at the Joint Center for the Control and Coordination of the Ceasefire (JCCC).

“The enemy’s armed forces, using the comprehensive and unlimited ceasefire regime agreed upon by the contact group, are openly strengthening their positions in the immediate vicinity of the most important infrastructure facility, the Donetsk filter station,” the SCCC said in a statement.

Representatives of the self-proclaimed republic claim that the Ukrainian side is erecting additional fortifications at a distance of 200 meters from the station, thus violating the agreement "to ensure security in the area of ​​a critical civilian infrastructure facility."

"The equipment of fortifications near such facilities is a direct violation of the Minsk agreements, as well as the agreements reached within the framework of the ceasefire obligations and the application by the parties of additional measures to strengthen and control it," the statement said.

RIA Novosti clarifies that the Donetsk filter station provides water to about 400 thousand residents of settlements on both sides of the contact line, and during the conflict in southeastern Ukraine, this object was repeatedly bombarded.

In addition, the press officer of the People’s Militia of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic, Ivan Filiponenko, said that Ukrainian security forces were building up their forces and assets in the area of ​​the military operation in the Donbass.

“Our intelligence records the buildup of forces and assets in the area of ​​the punitive operation,” RIA Novosti quoted him as saying.

According to Filiponenko, the LPR People’s Militia recorded the arrival of three mortar calculations by Ukrainian security forces in the area of ​​the village of Rubezhnoye. Also noted is the deployment of the BTR-4 “Bucephalus” and the 23-mm anti-aircraft gun ZU-23 in the residential area of ​​Stepovoy and BMP-2 in the area of ​​Raigorodka.

The LPR also claims that the Ukrainian security forces fired on representatives of the republic, who evacuated the body of a serviceman of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He was part of a group that was blown up while mining a site near the contact line in the vicinity of the settlement of Rassadki in the Donbass.

Representatives of the self-proclaimed republic argue that Kiev requested to provide conditions for the evacuation of the bodies of the dead. However, the LPR reported that so far the Ukrainian Armed Forces have not taken appropriate action. Instead, employees of the Lugansk representative office in the JCCC together with the public organization "Union of Afghanistan Veterans" went for one of the bodies.

As RIA Novosti was told by the head of the press service of the LPR People’s Militia, Yakov Osadchy, the Ukrainian Armed Forces opened fire during evacuation work. According to him, the observers of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) became witnesses of the incident.

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“Only thanks to the professionalism and vigilance of the JCCC officers, the victims were avoided. The fact of the shelling was recorded by the OSCE SMM observers, ”RIA Novosti quoted Osadchii as saying.

The deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics of the Moscow State Pedagogical University, Vladimir Shapovalov, in an interview with RT drew attention to the fact that despite the recently announced ceasefire, there are reports that military preparations from the Ukrainian armed forces are increasing, in fact, around the perimeter: and near Donetsk filter station, and in the area of ​​Mariupol.

“In fact, this means one of two things: either the President of Ukraine is disingenuous and tells a lie, stating that he seeks a truce and peacefully end this conflict. Or he does not control the situation in the country and, above all, the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Both options are bad, ”said the expert.

In his opinion, both scenarios can lead to an escalation of tension and the resumption of conflict in an open form. He noted that over the past year Ukraine has survived the election campaign, as a result of which the country elected a president who promised her peace.

“Ukrainians are tired of hostilities, but it seems that these hopes are not destined to come true. The actions taken by the new president do not demonstrate the ability and willingness of the new Ukrainian authorities to take drastic measures to prevent military clashes and implement the Minsk agreements, ”the expert said.

President of the Center for Strategic Communications Dmitry Abzalov is of the opinion that upcoming events will depend on personnel changes in the leadership of Ukraine.

“I remind you that the first cabinet meeting, at which it will be possible to approve, including ministers, including the Minister of Defense, can happen only at the end of August. Until this time, full control over the situation will be very limited. With a high degree of probability, exacerbations will occur, ”the expert said in an interview with RT.

He also emphasized that Zelensky’s team is betting on the Norman format, but there is no point in gathering negotiations if Kiev itself cannot deploy troops.

“Therefore, the aggravation can also be in terms of the political component, designed to show that without external interaction it will be extremely difficult to solve this issue,” Abzalov said.