Ukraine preparing three new sites for disengagement of troops
"Only three [sites] are being prepared. These will be the sites which really have a humanitarian component," Defense Minister of Ukraine Andriy Zahorodniuk said in an interview with Radio Liberty.
It is currently unknown when the new stage of the disengagement of troops will take place as the timeline depends on the Minsk agreements.
The negotiations are underway, the minister added.
According to Zahorodniuk, the three sites are a railway bridge in the area of Stanytsia Luhanska (16km north-east of Luhansk), Novoselivka Druha (36km north-east of Mariupol) and entry-exit checkpoint "Hnutove"(20km north-east of Mariupol). Although the Minister did not rule out that the other party might offer the sites that do not suit Ukraine. In this case, the Ukrainian authorities will refuse.
As reported, on November 9, 2019, the Ukrainian military and Russian-occupation troops started the process of disengagement of forces and hardware at the site No.3 in the area of the villages of Bohdanivka and Petrivske in Donetsk region.
On October 29, 2019, the reciprocal disengagement of forces and hardware at the site No.2 near Zolote-4 locality in Luhansk region was completed.
The disengagement of forces of the Ukrainian army and occupation troops on site No.1 in the area of Stanytsia Luhanska took place in June.
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