Poroshenko: most of heavy weapons have been withdrawn

Both sides in the conflict in eastern Ukraine have withdrawn most of their heavy weapons from the frontline, says Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko.
In an interview with state television on Monday evening Poroshenko said government forces had “withdrawn the lion’s share of multiple launch rocket systems and heavy artillery”.
“We see the Russian-backed militants have also withdrawn a significant part,” he added.

Artillery fire had halted among most of the 485-kilometre frontline, after Kiev “managed to stop the aggressors”, he said.
But the army was still sustaining losses in some flashpoints, with 64 soldiers killed since the peace deal came into effect on February 15, bringing to 1549 the number killed since the war started, he said.
However, Kiev’s forces sustained around a third of the fatalities when separatists forced them out of the transport hub of Debaltseve three days into the truce.
Since then the fighting has considerably abated, with both sides making a show of towing away rocket launchers and other big guns used in the 11 months of fighting that has killed more than 6000 people.
The separatists rarely announce their own casualty figures.