The Ukrainian army and Russian-backed forces are both preparing for an escalation in the war in the Donbas, according to the deputy chief of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, Alexander Hug.
Soldiers in the Russian-occupied parts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts as well as the Ukrainian army, are digging trenches all along the front line, Hug said during a briefing in Donetsk on Jan. 23.
“Everywhere we observe indications that the sides are preparing to continue the conflict or even escalate it,” said Hug, the official in charge of the OSCE monitoring mission’s daily operations in Ukraine.
He also said that the parties were not acting in accordance with the Minsk Agreements: he said the OSCE has seen weapons and military equipment belonging to Russian-led forces placed in firing positions; and rather than demining, both sides are laying more mines in the war.
This means the sides are ready to continue the war throughout eastern Ukraine, Hug said.
“Our drones have identified new trenches. The parties are actively digging in. We see a considerable amount of weapons in ditches and shelters,” he said.
“New trenches, more weapons, freshly-laid landmines – all indicate that the sides are preparing to ramp up this conflict rather than end it.”
The largest amount of weapons are seen in the villages of Petrivsky and Victoriivka. The OSCE also said there was a serious situation in Olenivka, a village south of the city of Donetsk, in the Russian-occupied part of Donetsk Oblast, where on Jan. 21 one civilian was killed, and another wounded in shelling.
“(Olenivka) is a place that has long been associated in my mind with the horrors of this conflict,” Hug said.
In addition, the OSCE last week recorded twice as many ceasefire violations in Svitlodarsk, a front-line town in the Ukrainian-controlled part of Donetsk Oblast, compared to the previous week, he said.
In total, OSCE has reported 467 explosions in the Donbas over the three days from Jan. 19-21.
In March, the OSCE is to take a decision on whether to prolong its mission in Ukraine. The mission was first deployed on March 21, 2014. The mission was extended in February 2016 and March 2017. The mission’s current mandate expires on March 31.
After Hug held an off-the-record meeting with journalists in Mariupol, local Ukrainian media mistakenly reported that the OSCE mission in Ukraine was to end this spring. But OSCE told the Kyiv Post that there had been a misunderstanding, and that the prolonging of the mission will definitely take place in 2018.
Hug’s visit to eastern Ukraine will last until Jan. 25. He is to assess the security situation along the frontline and its impact on civilians in the area, and visit sites where the OSCE has been facilitating repairs to critical infrastructure. Hug will give another press conference on Jan. 23 at 5:00 p.m. It will be streamed here.
