The prime minister of the self-proclaimed People's Republic of Donetsk said today that the pro-Russian rebels have removed artillery from frontline areas where Ukraine had also withdrawn, in line with a peace plan signed Saturday.
"We have withdrawn artillery but only in those areas where the Ukrainian regular units have done the same. Where Ukraine hasn't withdrawn artillery, we also haven't done so," the rebel leader, Alexander Zakharchenko told the Interfax news agency.
He said that the rebels were only withdrawing heavy artillery: "This all only concerns artillery with calibre greater than 100 mm."
On Saturday, government forces and pro-Kremlin separatists agreed to pull back heavy artillery and set up a 30-kilometre-wide buffer zone along the frontline.
Zakharchenko said that Ukraine was not observing the ceasefire fully, however.
"Not everything's clear with the ceasefire. Firing from the Ukrainian side is still going on as before. I would call this a slow-moving military operation," he told Interfax.
