(VOVworld) – Ukraine’s government have closed some routes to Donetsk and Lugansk to ensure the safety of residents in areas near the conflict zone, the Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council said on Monday.

A reminder of the deadly destruction in the conflict in Mykolaivka in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine (Photo: WFP)

The council added that more routes will be blockaded, if the conflict in eastern Ukraine escalates. On June 18^th, Ukraine’s government closed all routes to areas controlled by the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), but the transport blockade has been loosened recently. The DPR condemned the blockade, saying that it had violated the Minsk agreement.