Kiev officially admits violating Minsk agreements — LPR envoy

On October 27, a representative of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) accused the Ukrainian military of violating the Minsk Agreements. This claim followed the Ukrainian Armed Forces' acknowledgment of using a Turkish-made Bayraktar drone in Eastern Ukraine. Rodion Miroshnik, a diplomat from the LPR, highlighted that this action contravened the September 2014 memorandum, which explicitly bans flights of combat aviation and foreign unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the conflict zone.

The Ukrainian military, as confirmed by their General Staff, employed the Bayraktar UAV, stating it was used within their territory to ensure adherence to the ceasefire by the opposing side. They reported that the drone launched a missile to destroy an enemy weapon but did not cross the line of contact.

This incident breaches the additional ceasefire control measures established since July 27, 2020, which forbid the use of UAVs near the line of contact, with an exception for the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Ukraine (OSCE)'s Special Monitoring Mission.

Ukraine had previously acquired and tested Bayraktar TB2 drones from Turkey in 2019, intending to equip them with MAM-L laser-guided smart munitions from Turkish defense manufacturer Roketsan. Additionally, on September 29, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and Turkey’s Bayraktar Savunma agreed to establish a training and testing facility near Kiev for the maintenance and operation of these combat drones.