DONETSK. April 27 (Interfax) - Employees of the Donetsk water filtering station and monitors of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Special Monitoring Mission (OSCE SMM) were unable to access the facility because of a mortar attack carried out by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a representative of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) at the Joint Center for Control and Coordination (JCCC) told reporters.
"A shift of Donetsk filtering station employees headed to the facility together with representatives of the DPR Emergency Situations Ministry and OSCE SMM monitors at 10:00 a.m. today, but they had to turn back because of mortar strikes delivered by the Ukrainian Armed Forces," the representative said.
Ukraine has directed mortar fire at the Yasynuvata area from the direction of Avdiivka twice today, the representative said. One 120 mm shell was fired at the vicinity of the filtering station at 10:00 a.m., and another two 120 mm shells were launched at 11:00.
"The station's on-duty shift as well as the OSCE monitors and [representatives of] the DPR Emergency Situations Ministry were forced to stop moving forward and go back to where they came from. We call on the Ukrainian side at the JCCC to facilitate a firm ceasefire in this area in order to allow the station's personnel to resume the performance of their duties," the DPR representative said.