MOSCOW. Jan 12 (Interfax) - The Ukrainian Defense Ministry's decision to put in place a checkpoint system on the line of contact between the Ukrainian troops and the militia contradicts the Minsk memorandum, Alexander Khodakovsky, secretary of the Security Council of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), said.
"Kyiv's decision to introduce special checkpoints for people entering and leaving the DPR fully contradicts the Minsk memorandum on peaceful settlement of the conflict. All information on people who will be crossing the checkpoints will be entered into the Ukrainian law enforcement database. I am confident that people will have problems crossing these checkpoints, Ukrainian law enforcement officials are sure to have some questions for them. They will start detaining people," Khodakovsky was quoted by the Donetsk News Agency as saying.
Khodakovsky denied the Ukrainian authorities' statements that the militia are failing to fulfill the Minsk agreements. "It's not so. We are not conducting any provocations, unlike the Ukrainian troops."
"I am confident that the decision to put in place a checkpoint system will destabilize the situation. I think some Ukrainian politicians are trying to destabilize the situation. Peace in Donbas is just not profitable for them," Khodakovsky said.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry earlier made a decision to organize transport corridors on the border with the self-proclaimed DPR. Andrei Lysenko, a spokesman for the special operation, said checkpoints will be installed in those places, which will be staffed by border guards, customs officials and Ukrainian Interior Ministry officials. "Special equipment connected to a unified database will also be installed there. It will help identify the persons crossing these checkpoints," Lysenko said. He added that people crossing these checkpoints will be required to carry ID.