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OSCE: “Unidentified third party” provoking both sides in Donbass conflict

 […] At the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) observation point at Donetsk railway station (“Donetsk People’s Republic”-controlled, 8km northwest of Donetsk city centre) the SMM witnessed attempts by the JCCC to organise three ceasefires (to begin at 08:50hrs, 09:30hrs and 11:00hrs respectively) flounder as sporadic firing of mortars and machine guns started within a few minutes of the arranged start time. According to both Ukrainian Armed Forces and Russian Federation Armed Forces officers at the observation point, an unidentified “third party” was provoking the two sides. […]

Latest from OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine (SMM), based on information received as of 19:30 (Kyiv time), 16 April 2015


Two reports possibly related to this subject, from official Donetsk People’s Republic sources:

16th of April, 2015. Donetsk People’s Republic, Novorossiya. Ukrainian Armed Forces eliminate Ukrainian “volunteer” battalions forcing them towards the DPR positions, the DPR Defense Ministry spokesperson Eduard Basurin said. “The official report of the OSCE observer mission for 14 April, and the conclusion of the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination of the Ceasefire observed the OUN (Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists) battalion moving its positions one kilometre to the east near Peski and Zhabunki. At that time, the battalion formally came under the command of the 93rd mechanized brigade, so, we see that the brigade command pushed the discredited nationalists towards our positions. Thus, they solved two problems… eliminating unwanted fire that provoked retaliatory fire from us, and the subsequent charges of ceasefire violations,” – Eduard Basurin said. He emphasised that the DPR army continues to observe clashes between regular units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and extremist “volunteer” battalions. “Earlier, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry repeatedly stated that all ‘volunteer’ battalions, without exception, already part of the regular forces or a part of the National Guard. The situation at the contact line indicates that either the reassignment was de jure but not de facto, or that Ukrainian commanders knowingly give criminal orders,” – Basurin added.

Via Truth about situation in Ukraine, that links to the original DAN news report in Russian.


17th of April, 2015. Donetsk People’s Republic, Novorossiya. Ukrainian forces used vehicles with OSCE markings in attempting a provocation aimed at the Donetsk People’s Republic, the DPR Defense Ministry spokesperson Eduard Basurin told journalists today. “On 16 April, nationalist irregular troops, now part of the formal Ukrainian Armed Forces, with the support of armoured vehicles, carried an attack on the DPR positions near Zhabunki. Observers from the Joint Center for Control and Cooperation of the ceasefire saw two Ukrainian tanks accompanied by two white off-road vehicles, presumably Land Cruiser 200s, with markings like those of the OSCE Observer Mission. Most likely, the Ukrainian side hoped that this provocation would cause the vehicles to come under attack, sucker-punching the DPR. This could give rise to accusations of the DPR disrupting the Minsk Agreement, giving them an excuse to escalate the conflict,” – Basurin said.

Via Truth about situation in Ukraine, that links to the original DAN news report in Russian.


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Filed under: conflict zones, latest