[CYPRUS TIMES] Fears of provocation in Ukraine: pro-Russian separatists accuse the army of attacks

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Pro-Russian separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine today accused the army of opening fire on the area they control four times in 24 hours and added that they were trying to make sure there were no casualties.

It is not yet clear how serious these incidents are and there is currently no reaction from Ukraine or the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which is monitoring the situation in eastern Ukraine but in recent days has withdrawn some of its observers from the region.

Such incidents have occurred many times over the past eight years, but this comes at a time when Russia is accused of amassing more than 100,000 troops on its border with Ukraine and has withdrawn some of its observers in recent days.

Representatives of the self-declared Luhansk People's Republic said in a statement that Ukrainian forces used mortars, rocket launchers and machine guns in four separate incidents today, Thursday.

Ukraine's armed forces have flagrantly violated the ceasefire regime by using heavy weapons which, under the Minsk agreements, should have been withdrawn, the statement stressed.

Source: CNA

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