Ukrainian government troops and pro-Russian rebels have begun
withdrawing heavy artillery in the east of the country, Ukrainian
officials said Monday, a significant step toward implementing an
effective cease-fire in the region.
Col. Andriy Lysenko, spokesman for Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said Kiev's forces had started withdrawing from frontline positions. He said the rebels had also begun their withdrawal of heavy artillery, although it was "not as massive as we expected."
"We are seeing a trend that (the rebels) are reducing their use of heavy armed weaponry," Lysenko told journalists in Kiev. He said neither Kiev nor the rebels had completed their withdrawals, but said he hoped the rebels "will follow the example of the Ukrainian servicemen."
A cease-fire imposed Sept. 5 has been riddled by violations from the start, adding civilian casualties to the estimated 3,000 people who have been killed since the conflict began in April. On Monday, smoke rose over a neighborhood in the north of the rebel-held city of Donetsk, where fighting in recent weeks centered on a government-held airport has caught many residential areas in the crossfire.
Lysenko said two Ukrainian servicemen had been killed in the past day.
Last week, an agreement was signed to further the peace process, calling for both sides to halt advances and pull back heavy artillery, creating a buffer zone between them.
The deal was reached in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, on Saturday by representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the Moscow-backed rebels and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Read more: Ukraine, rebels begin withdrawing artillery from buffer zone | Al Jazeera America
Col. Andriy Lysenko, spokesman for Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council, said Kiev's forces had started withdrawing from frontline positions. He said the rebels had also begun their withdrawal of heavy artillery, although it was "not as massive as we expected."
"We are seeing a trend that (the rebels) are reducing their use of heavy armed weaponry," Lysenko told journalists in Kiev. He said neither Kiev nor the rebels had completed their withdrawals, but said he hoped the rebels "will follow the example of the Ukrainian servicemen."
A cease-fire imposed Sept. 5 has been riddled by violations from the start, adding civilian casualties to the estimated 3,000 people who have been killed since the conflict began in April. On Monday, smoke rose over a neighborhood in the north of the rebel-held city of Donetsk, where fighting in recent weeks centered on a government-held airport has caught many residential areas in the crossfire.
Lysenko said two Ukrainian servicemen had been killed in the past day.
Last week, an agreement was signed to further the peace process, calling for both sides to halt advances and pull back heavy artillery, creating a buffer zone between them.
The deal was reached in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, on Saturday by representatives of Ukraine, Russia, the Moscow-backed rebels and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Read more: Ukraine, rebels begin withdrawing artillery from buffer zone | Al Jazeera America
No comments:
Post a Comment