Escalation of tension in the Donbas

The most intense armed clashes between separatists and Ukrainian government forces since the beginning of this year have taken place in January 2017 in and around the town of Avdiyivka. After several days of exchanges of fire, on 29 January 2017 an initial artillery preparation was followed by an assault on Ukrainian positions by subunits of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic, with the highly likely intent of displacing the former from their positions and taking control of the industrial part of Avdiyivka.

On 31 January 2017, Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov declared that Ukraine was responsible for the escalation as it had “displayed aggression” towards the breakaway republics, and that “there is credible evidence” that on 30 January 2017 Ukrainian volunteer formations attempted to attack separatist-controlled territory. In Peskov’s assessment, recent events show that the Ukrainian side does not intend to implement the Minsk agreements.

• Primary Source

ESO: Background information: Reaction of the European Union to ceasefire violations in eastern Ukraine http://www.europeansources.info/record/reaction-of-the-european-union-to-ceasefire-violations-in-eastern-ukraine/

ESO: Background information: Ukraine Flare-Up Lays Bare Fears in Europe’s East http://www.europeansources.info/record/ukraine-flare-up-lays-bare-fears-in-europes-east/

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