On March 11, the working group on security held a meeting as part of the Minsk talks. The agenda included issues of ensuring a stable ceasefire at the line of contact and approving more disengagement areas.
The Ukrainian side engaged the Republic 215 times, including with 122mm artillery, 120mm and 82mm mortars:
- 122mm artillery was used 5 times, 48 shells fired;
- 120mm mortars were used 25 times, 152 shells fired;
- 82mm mortars were used 57 times, 321 shelled fired on the DPR territory.
Hotspots of tension were the suburbs of Gorlovka and the south of the Republic, as well as the following populated localities: Staromikhaylovka, Donetsk (the village of Trudovskaya Mine, the Volvo Center), Yasinovataya.
Speaking of a full and stable ceasefire, official representative of the Republic Alexey Nikonorov reported an increase in violations by the AFU.
“The situation is marked by a significant amount of destruction of housing and infrastructure facilities, which worsens the humanitarian situation and the lives of ordinary citizens. The Ukrainian side does not seek yet to settle the conflict peacefully,” Alexey Nikonorov noted.
In the course of discussions on the issue of withdrawal of forces and weapons, they did not make significant progress in approving more disengagement areas: the Ukrainian side has not offered any updated versions of potential areas.
“On our part, as early as at the previous meeting, we brought forward proposals indicating borders and coordinates of the areas, as well as a full line of argument regarding proposals of both parties. Unfortunately, Ukraine has not yet provided any compromise proposals so far. We are ready for compromise, but not through unilateral concessions that would disimprove positions of our units, as the Ukrainian side suggests,” the Republic’s representative concluded.