Ukraine Plans To Attack Donetsk Despite Ceasefire - DPR Militia

DONETSK (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 12th August, 2019) Kiev is preparing to launch a full-scale offensive against Donetsk, one of the embattled areas in Ukraine's easternmost Donbas region, a Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Militia spokesman said Monday.

On July 21, an indefinite ceasefire between Ukraine, and the people's republics of Donetsk and Luhansk entered into force. However, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe's monitoring mission in Ukraine began registering truce violations almost immediately.

"The intensification of the Ukrainian invaders near the contact line has one goal, the complete breakdown of the existing ceasefire and transition to a full-scale offensive against our republic," the militia's representative said.

According to him, the level of shooting is unprecedented even compared to the pre-ceasefire situation, with 60 mortar shells having been fired at the republic's territory since July 21.

The Ukrainian side was also accused of presenting fake photo and video evidence of the DPR's ceasefire breaches.

Since April 2014, the Ukrainian government has been conducting a military operation against the self-declared republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. There have been many attempts to resolve the conflict or, at the very least, stop the shooting. On July 17, during the meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group in Minsk, the participants agreed to the latest ceasefire, which came into force four days later.