OSCE: militants build up heavy armament near Komsomolske, Donetsk region

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Kyiv, July 2, 2015. Ovservers from the OSCE’s Special Monitoring Mission (OSCE SMM) recorded heavy armament build-up near Komsomolske, a settlement controlled by the “DPR” militants. Komsomolske is northeast from Mariupol. Heavy armament is moving southwards. This information was provided by the deputy head of the OSCE SMM, Alexander Hug during press-briefing at Ukraine Crisis Media Center.

“SMM noticed increased presence, advanced and deployment of heavy armament along the front line. We also recorded arrangement of this armament southward, along the contact line up till Solntseve, opposite the strategically important area around Hranitne”, said Hug. Alexander Hug informed that on June 23 OSCE SMM drones noticed militants’ APCs loaded with ammunition and forming a convoy. “Later 38 main combat tanks, 7 artillery systems, 12 military truchs and 6 IFVs were noticed in Ternove, to the south from the contact line”, added Hug.

In the past fortnight, the OSCE SMM has recorded major destruction in Shyrokine. Almost all the civilians left the settlement. “Local inhabitants at Stanytsya Luhanska informed us that one woman was killed and 3 soldiers wounded during shelling on June 26. A Sakhanka inhabitant told us that on June 27 his brother died garages was directly hit”, said Mr. Hug. On July 1 OSCE observers recorded 200 explosions within 6 hours of their patrolling. Almost half of them came from artillery around Donetsk airport.

The number of observers of OSCE Special Monitoring Mission increased to 489 people. Together with other international personnel and observers working in Ukraine, the Mission numbers 781 members.