OSCE SMM explained that responding to enemy shelling is a violation of the Minsk agreements The fire, opened by one of the parties in response to the enemy's actions in the Donbass, is a violation of the Minsk agreements, OSCE SMM Principal Deputy Chief Monitor Alexander Hug has said at a briefing in Kramatorsk, commenting on the situation in the Donetsk filtration station.
"And one more thing: both sides, when they say that the fire is opened "in response", this is also a violation of the ceasefire agreements reached. Any use of weapons is a violation. We understand the military logic, but the Minsk agreements do not provide any except. Civil logic should dominate, and until it happens, the situation will not change", - said Hug.
The Chief Monitor noted with concern that violations are being committed, despite the security guarantees provided. He said sometimes hundreds of ceasefire violations have been recorded on a daily basis in the wider area surrounding the DFS, endangering lives and jeopardizing the operation of the facility upon which people on both sides of the contact line depend for drinking water.
He noted that this situation is related to the close placement of parties in the DFS area: in some cases, the parties are divided only by a road, which only increases the tension.
"The second thing is the availability of heavy weapons located within the range of fire and located in close proximity to this infrastructure facility, which we see on both sides of the line of demarcation", - Hug noted.