OSCE sees hotspots multiplying along Ukraine conflict line
Vienna (dpa) - Fighting in the Ukraine is flaring up in areas where there had been little violence since a shaky truce deal came into effect in February, says the deputy chief monitor of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
"It is an escalation," Alexander Hug told dpa Friday during a visit to the OSCE headquarters in Vienna. "We have seen an increase in numbers of hotspots."
Not only are the number of places where fighting is being seen multiplying, but these sites are all in towns and cities, adding to civilian casualties, said Hug.
As tensions have mounted over the past weeks, Hug said that the OSCE's monitors saw that both the Ukrainian army and pro-Russian separatists built trenches to fortify their side of the conflict line, and that both increased the number of mine fields.
In addition, the army and the Russia-backed rebels had violated a February truce agreement by bringing heavy weapons to the conflict line and using them, instead of honouring their commitment to withdraw them.
"There are clear indications that there is a backward trend at themoment," Hug said.
The Minsk agreement in February, between Ukraine and Russian-backed separatists in its east, was brokered by Germany, France and Russia.
It calls for an end to fighting, removal of heavy weapons and a demilitarized zone.
However, while the severity of the fighting toned down, it never went away. And the OSCE assessment indicates it could now be getting worse.
The escalation has led to increased fatalities among civilians and fighters, as well as destruction of civilian infrastructure.
Despite this negative trend, Hug insisted that the Minsk truce was not dead, pointing out that the conflict parties have continued discussions.
"The fact that everyone talks to everyone is a good sign," said the Swiss lawyer and officer, who previously served on international missions in Bosnia, Kosovo and the West Bank.
The OSCE has currently deployed some 370 unarmed military observers in Ukraine's Luhansk and Donetsk regions.
The monitors have been tasked with observing the shaky ceasefire, and with facilitating dialogue between the conflict parties.
More than 6,400 people have been killed in the conflict since April 2014, according to the United Nations.
It erupted after Ukraine ousted its former pro-Russian president amid mass protests in Kiev that called for closer ties with the European Union.
Russia is widely believed to supply the rebels. While Moscow has been sending humanitarian convoys to rebel-held areas, it denies allegations of military aid.
Ukrainian Consulate Attacked In Southern Russia
Ukraine's consulate in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don has been vandalized.
Vitaliy Moskalenko, the Ukrainian consul in Rostov-on-Don, said unidentified assailants shattered 17 windows in the overnight attack.
The attackers also threw eggs and tomatoes into the building and tore a 40-kilogram bronze plate from the facade.
Moskalenko said the building was empty at the time.
Police have yet to detain any suspects.
The Rostov region neighbors war-torn eastern Ukraine, and the number of people crossing the border in that region has soared since the armed conflict erupted last year.
Based on reporting by Interfax, TASS
We are now closing the live blog for today. Until we resume again tomorrow morning, you can keep up with all our ongoing Ukraine news coverage here.
Here's an update from our news desk:
Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk says Kyiv could halt its debt repayments to creditors if no immediate deal is found with private lenders.
Yatsenyuk said on his return flight from Washington to Kyiv on June 12 that such a move is necessary because the Ukrainian government needs to fund its campaign against Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine.
"We will not take money out of Ukrainians' pockets to pay foreign debts," he said.
Yatsenyuk said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) had given his government a few extra weeks to pass legislation that is necessary for the release of badly-needed IMF loans.
He added that the IMF had signaled a willingness to let Ukraine restructure debts to lenders at its own pace.
But Ukraine's four biggest private lenders are concerned about debt payments and Moscow has threatened to go to the International Court of Justice if it doesn't receive a $75 million payment by June 20.
The IMF is expected to decide in July about the next tranche of Ukraine's multibillion-dollar loan package.
(AFP, Business-Standard.com)