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East Ukrainian militia complete withdrawal of 400 units of heavy armaments — statement

The Ukrainian side is trying to invalidate the plan for pulling out the heavy armaments, says the joint statement of unrecognized republics' representatives
DPR heavy weaponry pullback, Feb. 18  © Mikhail Sokolov/TASS
DPR heavy weaponry pullback, Feb. 18
© © Mikhail Sokolov/TASS

MOSCOW, February 25. /TASS/. Militia forces of the self-proclaimed unrecognized Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) have withdrawn almost 400 items of heavy armaments from the areas adjoining the line of contact since the ceasefire in eastern Ukraine took effect.

The DPR and LPR plenipotentiary representatives in the Contact Croup for peace settlement in Ukraine, Denis Pushilin and Vladislav Deinego revealed the information on Wednesday in a joint statement.

The statement also runs that Kiev is trying to revoke the signature of its representative under a plan of heavy armaments pullout.

"Beginning February 22, the Ukrainian side has been trying to invalidate the plan for pulling out the heavy armaments that had been drawn up by the Joint Coordination Center and signed by the parties to the peace process," the statement said.

"Considering the pullout of almost 400 items of heavy armaments we (DPR and LPR) have effectuated over this period, it would be very saddening for us to return to the positions again," Pushilin and Deinego said. "We would like to hope that Thursday’s meeting of the Contact Group will help prevent further errors (on the part of the Kiev government - TASS)."

"We are forced to ask the Ukrainian side, as well as the guarantors of the negotiating process - Chancellor Merkel, President Hollande, President Putin and urge them to prevent peace plans from being disrupted," the Donetsk news agency quoted the statement.

"After today’s meeting of the Contact Group, we register a tendency that puts into question the negotiability of the Ukrainian side in principle: Kiev is making another attempt to revoke the signature of its representative," the agency quoted Pushilin and Deinego as saying.