Ukraine Army commander claims to be under pressure to use heavy caliber artillery in Donbass

© AP Photo/ Efrem Lukatsky

    

According to the Ukrainian Armed Forces commander for Dzerzhynsk, commanders were under increasing pressure from personnel to bring forward heavy caliber artillery systems because the Donetsk People's Republic was using such systems.

Ukrainian frontline personnel insist on bringing forward heavy-caliber artillery systems in Donbass, the Ukrainian Armed Forces commander for government-controlled Dzerzhynsk told representatives of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM).

"He added that Ukrainian Armed Forces commanders were under increasing pressure from frontline personnel to bring forward heavy caliber artillery systems because the Donetsk People's Republic was using such systems with impunity," according to a report to the SMM published on May 25.

According to the commander, Ukrainian servicemen claim that fighters of the self-proclaimed DPR are using such weaponry.

In April 2014, Kiev launched a military operation in Donbass when resident opposed the coup in Kiev. According to the latest UN data, more than 6,200 people have been killed in the conflict.

One of the most important provisions of the Minsk agreements, signed in February, was the implementation of a constitutional reform as well as adopting a permanent law on the legal status of separate regions of Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

The agreement points out that decentralization must be implemented in agreement with representatives of the regions. However, Kiev has neglected that request saying the government will not have dialogue with breakaway territories.

On May 6, a meeting of the contact group resulted in creating four working groups on different aspects of solving the crisis.