KIEV, Aug. 17 – Illegal armed formations are intentionally escalating the situation in the “Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) zone“ before Ukraine's Independence Day, said Major-General Borys Kremenetsky, leader of the Ukrainian envoys working in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of the Ceasefire (JCCC).

"In Donetsk, Horlivka and Mariupol directions, illegal armed formations of certain areas in Donetsk and Luhansk regions are openly using the weapons that have to be withdrawn [under the Minsk agreements]. They also spread slander trying to accuse Ukraine of using weaponry [banned under the Minsk agreements] and escalating the situation along the demarcation line before the state holiday, Ukraine's Independence Day," Kremenetsky said.