Ukraine prepares media background to ruin ceasefire on winter holidays - Deinego

Ukraine prepares media background to disrupt the truce on the New Year and Christmas Eve, the LPR Foreign Minister Vladislav Deinego said.

"Ukraine prepares media background for another derailment of the truce at New Year's and Christmas," he said.

He reminded that Ukraine recently issued to conflicting statements. On December 22, the joint statement of the Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi and the Defence Minister Alexey Reznikov read that Kiev is ready to follow the agreements, including those concerning retaliatory fire.

The next day though, Zaluzhnyi cleared Ukrainian troops for opening fire, without mentioning the conditions set forward by the agreements dated July 22, 2020. After that he said that Ukraine observes all the agreements that define the "format of opening the fire", but he did not clarify to soldiers what the format is, according to Deinego.

He explained that the Measures to Reinforce the Ceasefire allow retaliatory fire only of a respective order has been issued by the Ukrainian command and only after a failed attempt to reinstall the truce via the coordination mechanism.

"Such media behaviour suggests that Ukraine might be getting ready for provocations at the contact line during the holidays," the LPR Foreign Minister said.

"The mixed and conflicting messages are just reports to Western sponsors," he said.

Ukrainian government launched the so-called anti-terrorist operation against Donbass on April 13, 2014.

The Additional Measures to Strengthen the Ceasefire, agreed by the Contact Group members and effective since 00:01 July 27, 2020, ban offensive and commando operations, use of unmanned aerial vehicles, deployment of heavy armaments in or in proximity to residential areas etc. They envision punishment for violators and the use of the coordination mechanism to respond to ceasefire violations. Return fire is allowed in case of offensive, if the order is given by the leadership of Ukrainian forces or DPR and LPR People’s Militias after the unsuccessful attempt to use the coordination mechanism. The Contact Group shall be notified about such orders. *t