OSCE: The front line in Donbass is shifting to the West
Berlin – Kyiv, November 19 (PolitNavigator, Vasily Ablyazimov) – The United Nations is warning of a “return to full-scale war” in Eastern Ukraine, the popular German tabloid Bild writes today.
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After almost two months, the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine risks being completely destroyed. Not only the UN, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has expressed deep concern about the sharp escalation of the conflict.
US State Department Speaker Jennifer Psaki said there were “continuing, persistent and gross violations of the Minsk Treaty protocol.” She suggested that perhaps several new Russian politicians would be added to Washington's sanctions list on Wednesday.
NATO Supreme Commander Philip Breedlove said in Sofia that the alliance is allegedly observing massive troop movements from Russia. Russia sharply rejected the accusations. These accusations contain “nothing but steam,” says Major General Igor Konashenkov, head of the Press Service and Information Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. “None of this is based on facts,” he said in a media interview.
“We are deeply concerned that heavy fighting in the past could break out again at any moment. This would be a disaster for Ukraine,” said UN Deputy Secretary-General Anders Jens Toyberg-Frandzen on Wednesday at the UN Security Council in New York.
The ceasefire agreement remains only on paper, says OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier in Brussels. Lamberto Zannier confirms that the rebels have recently recaptured significant territory. “If you look at where both sides were in September, and if you compare that to where they are now, the line is moving west,” he said. In some areas, he said, the line has shifted westward by tens of kilometers.
The pro-Western government in Kyiv has announced that it is preparing for a new rebel offensive. To this end, the rebels have received reinforcements from Russia in the last few days, Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak is sure.
The OSCE believes that the humanitarian situation in Donbass is deteriorating every day. Refugees, whose numbers are growing, find themselves in a particularly difficult situation. Their fate in the winter will be very difficult, says the OSCE.
OSCE: Frontline in Donbas Shifting West