Russia to withdraw its officers from Donbas’ Centre for Control and Co-ordination - MFA


Moscow is withdrawing its observers at the Joint Centre for Control and Co-ordination (JCCC) from Donbas due to a ‘tense moral and psychological situation’, the Russian Foreign Ministry says.

Russian representatives are expected to leave Donbas on December, 19. The ministry blames the trouble on the Ukrainian side:

“In violation of the agreements between the presidents of the Russian Federation and Ukraine regarding the creation and deployment of the JCCC, the Ukrainian side has deliberately created a tense moral and psychological situation for our military personnel and prevented them from fulfilling their official duties.”

According to the ministry, Russian officers were restricted access to the contact line.

“The matter came to prohibitions on communication with the locals. There have been cases of Ukrainian servicemen’s disrespectful attitude to their Russian counterparts,” the statement said.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian military experts warn that there might be another wave of escalation in Donbas after the pullout.

“In particular, the enemy is about to strengthen their secret subversive groups’ activity at military facilities of Ukraine’s Armed Forces as well as transport and energy infrastructure and increase the number of provocative attacks on our positions and populated areas near the line of demarcation,” the press service of Ukraine’s ATO HQ stresses.

The JCCC was primarily deployed for monitoring the compliance of the situation in Donbas to the Minsk Accords paragraphs. Representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk republics are present in the Centre.

belsat.eu

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