Ukrainian security forces fired mortar shells in the vicinity of the contact line near the village of Petrivske where opposing sides have withdrawn military equipment in accordance with the previously agreed peace plan, a representative of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) told reporters on Saturday
DONETSK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th November, 2019) Ukrainian security forces fired mortar shells in the vicinity of the contact line near the village of Petrivske where opposing sides have withdrawn military equipment in accordance with the previously agreed peace plan, a representative of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) told reporters on Saturday.
"We recorded nine mortar shells with a caliber of 82 mm [3.2 inches] fired by the Ukrainian armed forces in the direction of [Kiev-controlled] Bogdanovka and [DPR-controlled] Petrivske," he said.
On November 9, both the DPR militia and the Ukrainian security forces began the withdrawal of troops near Petrivske, with the process monitored by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The same day, the DPR announced that it had fully withdrawn its forces from the area. On Monday, the Ukrainian military said that it had also completed the practical phase of the troop pullout.
The withdrawal began when Kiev agreed to the Donbas peace plan called "the Steinmeier formula," which would see the breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, collectively known as Donbas, gain special status within the country. The withdrawal began on the contact line at the villages of Zolote in Luhansk and Petrivske in Donetsk.
