Equipo Nizkor - Comment of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on the escalation of the situation in Donbass.

United Nations
Security Council

S/2015/869

Distr.: General
13 November 2015
Original: English

Letter dated 12 November 2015 from the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council

I have the honour to enclose herewith the comment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on the deterioration of the situation in Donbass.

Due to the violations of the Minsk agreements by the illegal military groups controlled by the Russian Federation that act within the territory of certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Ukraine urges the Security Council to exert its influence on the Russian Federation to bring it to adhere to the ceasefire regime and to start the unconditional implementation of the Minsk agreements.

I should be grateful if you would circulate the present letter and its annex as a document of the Security Council.

(Signed) Yuriy Sergeyev
Ambassador
Permanent Representative

Annex to the letter dated 12 November 2015 from the Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations addressed to the President of the Security Council

Comment of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on the escalation of the situation in Donbass

In Ukraine there is great concern regarding the significant increase in violations of the ceasefire regime since early November by illegal armed groups acting in certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine.

The geography, intensity and systematic nature of the attacks are cause for special concern. From 1 to 11 November 2015, the militants carried out more than 240 attacks along the contact line, including with the use of 82-mm and 120-mm calibre mortars, which are subject to withdrawal, according to the Minsk agreements.

Three times, on 2, 8 and 10 November, illegal armed groups provoked military clashes with units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. For the first time in two months, an attempt to attack the positions of the Ukrainian military near Mayorske and Novozvanivka was carried out.

In close proximity to the contact line, in the area temporarily not controlled by Ukraine, there is a high concentration of heavy military equipment, including artillery and tanks. In addition, a deployment of new artillery units and an intensification of intelligence and raiding groups and ammunition supplies, and so on, have been monitored. In violation of the Minsk agreements, heavy military equipment is still being hidden in prohibited areas.

At the same time, the intrusion by intelligence drones into Ukraine's airspace was noted, as well as unusual military activity of Russian armed forces in the areas close to the border with Ukraine, including military training involving aviation, and other types of military and special equipment in the Rostov and Kursk regions of the Russian Federation.

We consider the above -mentioned actions to be a deliberate attempt to undermine not only the process of withdrawal of heavy military equipment of less than 100 mm in calibre, which has been carried out recently and to the full extent by the Ukrainian side, but also the implementation of other aspects of the Minsk agreements, including important social and economic, as well as humanitarian, projects.

With winter approaching, the militants are putting at risk the repairs and renovation works for crucial economic infrastructure, intended to benefit the civilian population.

We expect the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine to immediately carry out a comprehensive investigation of the violations of the Minsk agreements and issue an objective assessment, in accordance with provision 3 of decision No. 1117 of 21 March 2014 of the OSCE Permanent Council on the deployment of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine, as well as the security agreements reached.

We strongly believe that the proper implementation of the Minsk agreements will be possible only if Russia and the illegal armed groups it supports observe the "security bloc" measures, namely, putting an end to the supplies of arms, military equipment and mercenaries; ensuring full and unobstructed access for OSCE Special Monitoring Mission observers to all areas, including the temporarily non-controlled Ukrainian-Russian border areas; withdrawing military equipment, militants and mercenaries from the territory of Ukraine; and carrying out the disarmament of illegal armed groups.

We call on the international community to exert increased efforts to influence the Russian Federation with a view to ensuring observance of the comprehensive ceasefire and unconditional fulfilment of the Minsk agreements to their full extent.

Ukraine remains committed to the Minsk agreements of 2014 and 2015, considers them to be the only efficient instrument for a peaceful settlement of the situation in Donbass and will apply every measure to ensure their proper implementation.

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13Nov15

Comment of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on the escalation of the situation in Donbass