On the official crossing at Izvarino, Paul Ricard, a monitor from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), regularly sees young men in military-style dress crossing the border.
In Brussels on Tuesday, Yatsenyuk thanked the OSCE for its plan but said Ukraine had its own proposals for ending the crisis and that the people of his country should settle the issue themselves.
Ukraine's prime minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, is to chair the first in a series of meetings that will include national MPs, government figures and regional officials in line with proposals drafted by the OSCE – a transatlantic security and rights group that includes Russia and the US.
James Warlick, the United States representative for the Minsk Group of the Organisation for security and cooperation in Europe (OSCE), which works towards finding a peaceful solution to the conflict, tweeted: "We are seriously concerned about the recent upsurge in violence along the Line Of Contact.
But the OSCE observer report on the election catalogued many "legal and organisational shortcomings," noting that slavish media coverage gave Karimov a "clear advantage" and that "proxy voting on behalf of several voters appeared to be universally practised".
The 56-year-old former collective farm manager has ruled Belarus with an iron grip since 1994 and his two re-elections since were judged unfair by the OSCE.
At least 1,000 people have been killed in eastern Ukraine since representatives of Kiev, Moscow, the rebels and the OSCE agreed on a ceasefire in Minsk in September, including 192 government soldiers.
The Ukrainian government has agreed to launch discussions on giving more powers to the regions under a peace plan brokered by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) – a roadmap backed by Moscow but regarded with scepticism by Kiev.
OSCE has sought to help broker an enduring cease-fire in eastern Ukraine, where it's believed Moscow is supporting the separatists with weapons and troops in their quest to secede from Ukraine's central government.
Kerry called it a "very turbulent year" and noted that when the 57-state OSCE met last year, Ukraine protesters were in the throes of demanding a new government in Kiev.
"They were warmed by a simple desire – to live in a country with an honest government," Kerry said at the start of the OSCE meeting.
