Photo from UNIAN

Russian occupation troops in Donbas at 14:15 on September 10 opened fire, employing small arms, at Ukrainian positions near the village of Shumy, Joint Forces Operation Command reports.

This was aimed fire, targeting the site where representatives of the Joint Ceasefire Coordination Center and OSCE were set to meet, reads the report posted on Facebook.

"Such actions by the enemy testify that they deliberately and purposefully resort not only to violations of the agreements, but also openly provoke the Ukrainian side. However, Ukraine once again demonstrates its sincere will to establish peace, while the enemy deliberately thwarts any attempts," the statement emphasizes.

At the same time, as the JFO press center notes, thanks to the efficiency of the Ukrainian reconnaissance troops, such actions by the Russian occupation forces had been predicted in advance, so safety was ensured of the Ukrainian military, representatives of the JCCC and the OSCE.

Situation around Sumy in Donbas: background

  • So-called "DPR leader" Denis Pushilin threatened to open fire on Ukrainian army positions from 08:00 a.m. local time on September 7.
  • As grounds for such move, Pushilin claimed violations by Ukrainian forces of the latest ceasefire agreement sealed on July 22.
  • He demanded that Ukrainian troops undo the trenches that had allegedly been dug after July 22, and warned that they "have every right" to act to eliminate the alleged violations.
  • In turn, Commander of the Joint Forces, Lieutenant General Volodymyr Kravchenko said the Ukrainian troops had not violated any agreements.
  • On September 6, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine confirmed there had been no violations of the ceasefire agreements by the Joint Forces.
  • On September 9, participants in the TCG meeting agreed on a joint inspection near Shumy with the participation of a representative of the OSCE coordinator.
  • The President's Office said the relevant agreement on the inspection had been reached to refute fake news and prevent new provocations.
  • However, the "joint inspection" of Ukrainian positions was eventually "suspended."
  • The Office later explained the move to suspend the inspection. The Ukrainian side is reported to have received a number of conflicting demands that distort the nature of the ceasefire agreements and further humiliate the OSCE as a reliable and objective mediator.